Fevered Dreams
by Bunch-o-Nuts
Summary: What would happen if the Ronin Warriors were faced with an enemy they can't physically attack...such as a disease? RYO AND CYE DIED LAST TIME...WILL THEY COME BACK?
1. First Sign

Fevered Dreams  
Okay, so this is only my second Ronin Warriors fanfic, and I hope it works  
out. Anyway, I got this idea after re-reading a disease fic I wrote several  
years ago about the Gundam Pilots (posted on Aishiteiru). Anyway, this story  
has some ties to my old story, but overall, it is quite different.  
I don't own RW, although I wish...  
Finally, I hope you enjoy!  
******  
(Around ten in the morning)  
A ten-year-old boy got off his bike and leaned it against the large house. He  
paused for a minute, shook his head, then continued up the stairs to the  
house. Without pausing to knock on the door or anything, he opened the door  
and stepped inside.  
Inside, the boy saw a young man with light brown hair poke his head around  
the corner, from the area were the kitchen was. The boy smiled at the man and  
went around the corner to the kitchen.  
"Breakfast duty again, Cye?" The boy asked, which brought froth a laugh from  
the young man. Cye put two pancakes on a plate and placed them in front of  
the boy.  
"Yes, my cooking is the only one the other's will eat. Eat your pancakes,  
Yulie, before the others come down...you won't get another chance." Cye  
commented, setting out syrup and butter as well.  
No sooner were the words out of Cye's mouth did four young men run toward the  
stairs in a race. Two of them jumped from the top of the stairs to the bottom  
floor while the other two tried to get to the kitchen first. Cye quickly set  
out pancakes for the four men just before they had all sat down at the table.  
"Hey Yulie." One of the men said, his black hair tied down by an orange  
headband. His dark eyes sparkled playfully as he tried to steal an extra  
pancake from Yulie's plate.  
"Hi Kento." Yulie replied as he watched Kento stick a fork in one of his  
untouched pancakes. Another fork slapped Kento's hand and Kento pulled away  
quickly.  
"Hey, Sage, why'd you do that?" Kento asked of his blond friend. Sage smiled  
and continued to eat his own pancakes.  
"It's Yulie's pancake, Kento. Leave it alone and eat the ones given to you  
first." A blue haired boy replied, his blue eyes sparkling as playfully as  
Kento's.  
"Thanks Rowen." Yulie said half-heartedly. Personally, he wasn't hungry; he'd  
already had his breakfast that morning at his home. Only one of the men  
noticed, though.  
"You doing okay, Yulie?" A man with black hair and incredibly blue eyes  
asked, slightly concerned for the young boy.  
"I'm fine, Ryo...I already ate breakfast, that's all." Yulie explained,  
deciding not to mention the fact that his stomach was hurting a little.  
A few minutes later, the men all finished their food and ran outside,  
brushing past a woman that was just coming down the stairs. She just shook  
her head and went into the kitchen.  
"Hey Yulie...not going to watch the guys and their training?" The woman asked,  
brushing her long brown hair over her shoulder as she helped herself to   
left-over pancakes. Yulie took one more bite of the breakfast Cye had given  
him before rinsing the plate off in the sink, watching the uneaten pancakes  
slide down the drain.  
"No, I'm going right now. Bye, Mia!" He yelled as he ran out the front door  
after the guys.  
Mia shook her head, but smiled.  
"At least he was kind enough to rinse his plate for me." Mia said to herself  
softly as she looked around the disaster zone that was supposed to be a  
kitchen.  
******  
A few hours later, Mia emerged from the house and sat down on the front step  
with Yulie. A few feet away, the five young men sparred together, making sure  
to stay in shape for any unexpected attacks from the Dynasty.  
"So how's life at home, Yulie?" Mia asked, jerking the young boy from his  
thoughts.  
"It's okay...my mom got sick this week, but she's already getting better."  
Yulie told her, his eyes slowly following every fast move any Ronin Warrior  
made. Suddenly, his face scrunched up and he covered his face with his hands.  
Yulie sneezed, about five times in a row. When he was done, he left his hand  
in front of his face, but turned to Mia. "Just a minute, Mia."  
With that, Yulie turned and ran into the house. But sure enough, a moment  
later he was back, settling back down on the front stoop. He put a hand to his  
forehead and groaned slightly.  
"Hey, Yulie...are you okay?" Mia asked, concerned.  
"I'm fine, just a little tired." Yulie waved off Mia's concern, but she wasn't  
convinced. When Yulie finally moved his hand, she placed her hand there  
instead. She almost jerked back in surprise as she felt the hot touch of a  
fever greet her fingers.  
"Hey Yulie...why don't you tell me how you really feel while we get some  
medicine, k?" Mia suggested, opening the door again and forcing the young boy  
through. Reluctantly, Yulie led the way to the bottom-floor bathroom.  
"I've had a cough since yesterday and an upset morning since this morning. I  
don't remember how long I've been sneezing...nothing else, really." Yulie  
explained as Mia stuck a thermometer in his mouth and removed two cold tablets  
from the medicine cabinet behind the mirror. When the thermometer beeped off,  
she removed it to see his temperature as Yulie downed the two tablets.  
"Okay, go on out and call the guys in." Mia told him reassuringly as she  
cleaned the thermometer off and put it away. 'I'll take him home after lunch.'  
She told herself, keeping in mind Yulie's temperature.  
She had everything set up for lunch, but when she didn't hear the guys come in  
after a few minutes, she grew concerned. She went outside and saw the young  
men still sparring. Confused, she walked back inside and grabbed a few towels  
for the men before calling them in for lunch.  
"Have any of you seen Yulie in the past half hour?" She asked as she gave them  
their towels. "He was supposed to get you for lunch."  
"Yeah, I thought I saw him napping on the couch." Kento said, wiping the sweat  
from his face.  
Hiding her concern from the guys, she told them lunch was in the kitchen  
before she walked into the living room.  
Sure enough, Yulie was fast asleep on the couch. Feeling slightly sorry for  
the young boy, she crouched down by the couch and brushed his forehead. He  
felt slightly warmer...  
Mia got a thermometer and took his temperature again and was surprise that it  
had risen, even though she had given the boy medicine. Concerned, she cleaned  
off the thermometer again and got a blanket out of the cupboard. She draped it  
over Yulie before walking into the kitchen. The men all looked up at her  
immediately.  
"So did you find Yulie?" Sage asked, cleaning off his plate. Mia nodded for  
them and explained that he was running a bit of a fever.  
"I'm going to take him home, okay?" She suggested when she had finished  
explaining. The men agreed with her and she went out to the living room and  
picked Yulie up from the couch like a little child. He didn't even wake up.  
As she was backing out through the door, Ryo approached her.  
"Hey, I'll go with you." Ryo told her, opening the door. Mia smiled at him as  
she adjusted Yulie's dead weight. "I'll carry him." Ryo added when he noted  
the trouble she was having holding onto Yulie.  
Mia gave him Yulie and, together, they headed off for Yulie's house.  
******  
"Thank you again for bringing him home." Yulie's father said as he came out of  
Yulie's room. "I thought he was sick this morning and I told him not to go  
anywhere, but he promised that he felt fine...he seemed so certain...I'm sorry  
for any inconvenience it has caused you."  
"It's no problem, really." Ryo told the man for the fifth time.  
"Really, we should be going back home." Mia said, ushering Ryo out the front  
door. "I hope your family will get better." Mia added before they both were  
outside and heading down the door.  
Yulie's father closed the door after them, then turned toward the bedroom  
hallway.  
"I hope so too." He whispered.  
******  
That's it for now. I hope to get the next chapter up soon, and I also hope  
it gets a little better... 


	2. Telltale Signs

Fevered Dreams  
Well, now to tie it into the main characters.  
Thanks for your reviews!!  
****** (3 days later)  
All was dark. Completely, utterly, suffocating dark. But then, a light grew to  
the right, and it expanded until it filled every part of the small room...every  
part except one small corner.  
Something stirred in the remaining darkness and out stepped a shadow of a man.  
He was still surrounded by shadows so that the identity of the man could not be  
determined. However, it was quite clear he was a scientist as he poured a small  
amount of red liquid into a silently boiling pot of water. He then poured equal  
amounts of a yellow, green and black liquid as well. The man then stirred the  
large pot a few times, him mouth moving silently in some sort of chant before he  
ladeled some of the black mess out.  
He moved over to a miniature version of Toyama and dribbled the mess down the  
main street. It seemed that as soon as he was done, the trail of black mess  
quivered, then grew as it seeped down paths and other streets, into homes and  
office buildings, onto playgrounds and crawling into churches.  
And suddenly there was sound.  
A high pitched laugh that echoed in the small room and the one word the  
scientist rasped again and again.  
"Die...die...die..."  
******  
Ryo woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed. Breathing heavily, he stared  
around the dark room, his eyes slowly adjusting to the minimal light in his  
room. He sighed in relief when he recognized everything and wiped the cold sweat  
from his brow.  
A big cat's head was suddenly placed in his lap and he scratched the white tiger  
behind his ears. Softly, to comfort himself, he told the tiger the fragments of  
the dream that he could remember. Now that he thought about it, it didn't seem  
that scary...  
Ryo massaged his temple, feeling a migraine starting. He closed his eyes for a  
minute and breathed deeply, hoping to make it go away...  
The deep breath just brought out a deep-chested cough. For several minutes, Ryo  
coughed, trying desperately to stop but finding he needed to continue if he  
wanted to drag any fresh air into his lungs.  
Finally, when he had stopped, Ryo rolled back the covers on his bed and got out  
of bed. The digital clock read 1:58 am, and Ryo shivered at the dead air hanging  
in his room.  
Rubbing his arms for warmth, he went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind  
himself. He turned on the small night light and pulled back the mirror,   
revealing a medicine cabinet stocked with all medicines anyone could think of.  
Ryo reached in, knocking several bottles down before being able to get his  
shaking hands around an Advil bottle and a Ny-Quil bottle (imagine japanese  
versions, cuz I'm not that good ^_^). Swallowing two Advil with the amount  
perscribed on the Ny-Quil bottle of liquid, he carefully capped each bottle.  
Gagging on the taste, he drank a little water from the tap until the taste was  
gone.  
Without taking the time to put away the medicines he had knocked down or used,  
he opened the door and turned off the light, yawning.  
Ryo stumbled into his room and fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the  
pillow.  
White Blaze, Ryo's tiger, walked in a moment later and gazed sadly at his  
master. Something wasn't right, that was clear, as the tiger watched Ryo shiver  
on the warm summer night, but Ryo didn't even wake up enough to wrap his  
blankets more effectively around him.  
White Blaze padded over and gently pulled the covers out from underneath Ryo  
with his teeth, then back over him, making sure to cover him completely. He  
heard Ryo sigh heavily and sink deeper into sleep. White Blaze stood back and  
watched Ryo for a minute before curling up on the rug provided for him near  
Ryo's bed, but he didn't go back to sleep for a while.  
******  
White Blaze woke up the next morning when he heard a commotion starting  
downstairs. He padded over to the door, nudging it open with his nose, and  
looked at the scene below.  
Kento was going for more waffles, Cye was laughing and Sage was in a deep  
conversation with Rowen...  
Rowen?  
The tiger looked again and was shocked that he wasn't mistaken. The Warrior of  
Strata was always the last one up, but White Blaze couldn't see Ryo among the  
warriors below. Letting out a confused sigh, the tiger went back into Ryo's room  
to find the Warrior of Wildfire still in bed. Concerned, he went over to see the  
boy buried among the covers now and showing no signs of waking up shortly. The  
tiger cocked his head in confusion when he heard someone coming up the stairs.  
A knock came at the door and the tiger sniffed the air, then purred loudly when  
he recognized the Warrior of Torrent's scent.  
Cye came in after waiting a moment to have White Blaze practically pounce on  
him.  
"Where's Ryo, White Blaze?" Cye asked, laughing at the tiger's antics.  
The tiger, understanding Cye's question, went over to the bed and pawed at the  
covers. Puzzled, Cye walked over to see Ryo still fast asleep...and looking like  
he had slept only for an hour the night before.  
Cye knelt down next to his leader and carefully felt his forehead. Ryo felt  
normal enough...and he didn't seem to be having any trouble breathing or  
anything. Cye stood back up and shook his friend's shoulder, startling the young  
man awake.  
He looked up at Cye with unfocused and sleep heavy eyes.  
"Good morning!" Cye said cheerfully as Ryo yawned and stretched a little  
before sitting up in his bed. Ryo rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up,  
then rubbed his head with a hand as he looked back at Cye.  
"What time is it?" Ryo asked softly, yawning again.  
"Around ten. I'm quite surprised, but Rowen beat you to breakfast this  
time." Cye commented softly, opening the curtains to Ryo's room, letting the  
sun stream in. He heard Ryo flop back down onto his bed as Cye picked up the  
t-shirt and shorts Ryo had picked out the night before. Cye looked at them for  
a minute before tossing them to his friend, Ryo letting them settle over his  
face before he sat back up and pulled them off. He grinned slightly for Cye  
before putting his feet on the ground and pushing off his bed. He swayed a  
little and shook his head as if to clear it of something as Cye headed to the  
door and headed back downstairs.  
Ryo sat back down heavily on his bed. White Blaze licked his hand and Ryo gave  
his tiger a scratch behind the ears. He sighed, stared at his door for a minute,  
then started pulling on his clothes.  
Downstairs, Cye picked up dishes and set them in the sink, filling it with a  
little water and soap. Then he sat back down with his friends.  
"So where's Ryo?" Sage asked when he and Rowen could stop talking for a  
minute to ask about their leader.  
"He slept in, but he's coming now." Cye replied, looking over at the  
three uneaten waffles that belonged to their leader as they heard him come down  
the stairs.  
The others were all a little shocked to see Ryo in jeans and a t-shirt rather  
than the lightest clothing he could find...it was ninety-eight degrees outside,  
after all.  
Ryo picked at the waffles in front of him for a minute, frowning, before putting  
his plate in the refrigerator.  
"Come on guys. Let's go practice." Ryo said, washing his hands in the  
sink before heading outside. The guys stared at each other, then at their  
leader, then back at each other. Something wasn't right; although Ryo didn't  
gourge himself like Kento, he still was not one to normally pass up a meal...  
The guys didn't hesitate then as they followed Ryo outside, only to watch him  
trip down the stairs, catching himself at the last minute. When Sage went to  
help him up, he was shocked to feel a thin layer of sweat already coating his  
body.  
Ryo pushed Sage away and forced himself up on his own, but the boys couldn't  
help but notice that he shook. Ryo wrapped his arms around his body and sat down  
heavily, wiping the sweat from his brow.  
"Ryo, you feeling okay?" Kento asked. Ryo started to shake his head then  
put a hand to a temple.  
"No...I don't." Ryo replied, practically whimpering with pain. The  
whimper scared the guys more than anything. Cye came over and sat beside Ryo,  
who put his head in his hands. "I...I'm just really tired."  
The guys knew something more was wrong, but they didn't feel they should push  
it; Ryo did have pride and it probably took a lot to admit he wasn't feeling  
good among his friends.  
"Ryo...why don't you sit this practice out, okay?" Kento ventured.  
Rowen, Sage and Cye glared at him as Ryo shook with whatever was invading his  
body. "What? He can't practice with us, obviously!" Kento defended himself,  
stepping up to Ryo and gesturing at him.  
"Ryo doesn't need to be told that...if you didn't feel well, you don't  
want people pointing out that weakness to you, would you?" Rowen explained  
hotly. Sage and Cye agreed.  
They were not even aware that Ryo couldn't hear them, could barely see them as  
the virus was winning the fight for now in his body. His head felt heavy and he  
laid it against Cye's shoulder in an attempt to take off some of the burden. He  
hurt all over and wanted to cry with the pain because it wasn't a pain that he  
had honorably earned from battle or anything, but a pain that showed weakness  
none the less.  
The last thing he was aware of was Sage standing in front of him, holding out  
his hands toward Ryo, which glowed slightly by the light kanji.  
'He's trying to figure out what's wrong...' Ryo thought before falling  
asleep.  
Sage pulled back from Ryo after he was asleep and leaned back on his feet.  
He frowned, analyzing what he had felt raging in Ryo's body.  
"Well?" Kento asked after a minute.  
"He's got a headache, nausea, congestion...his joints hurt, he's got  
quite a cough, fever...I don't know what else, but he's got something that is  
ready for a war with him." Sage said, ticking off diseases in his mind that Ryo  
might have and quickly outruling them. The only explanation was influenza, a  
strong case of the flu...  
"How long will he sleep?" Cye asked as Kento picked him up from the  
ground.  
"Hopefully, five hours, then we can try to get something in him." Sage  
replied as they headed inside with Ryo.  
They laid him on the couch in the living room and put a blanket over him. Not  
knowing what else to do while they waited (and not feeling that practice should  
continue without their leader), they turned on the tv and started the PS2,  
occasionally checking on Ryo's condition.  
******  
Around six at night, Ryo stirred and opened his eyes to find himself on the  
living room couch. He stretched and smiled at how much better he felt. Thinking  
Sage must have healed the small virus he had, he rolled up the blanket before  
going out into the dining room, where the guys were having dinner with Mia.  
"Anything for me?" Ryo asked, his stomach growling a little as he saw  
the food they were eating.  
The guys looked up in shock to see him. Exchanging a look, Cye spoke up.  
"Sure, if you feel up to it." With that, Cye pointed to the stove top,  
where a pot rested with the contents of tonight's dinner. Ryo got out a bowl and  
ladeled out half a bowl of the soup before sitting down with his friends.  
"How do you feel, Ryo?" Mia asked him and Ryo shrugged.  
"Better, really." Ryo replied, eating a few spoonfuls of the soup. He  
felt Sage reach out with the power of the Halo and search him for any disease.  
He smiled to see Sage's confused look.  
"It's all gone...not a trace of the disease left." Sage commented, going  
back to his soup. The others smiled and shook their heads.  
It seemed that Ryo had miracously recovered.  
******  
The scientist laughed harshly as he watched the Ronin Warriors continue to eat  
dinner from his viewing crystal.  
He lowered the crystal from his eyes and went over to a table that held five  
dolls, each one looking either like Ryo, Sage, Cye, Rowen or Kento. The man  
laughed as he saw the black mess circulate a little in the Ryo doll.  
"Enjoy your health while you can...it comes back with a vengence." The  
man laughed as he took a ladle of the black stuff and poured it over the other  
four dolls.  
******  
What? Did you really think they'd beat it that quickly? No...I'm going to give  
them a fight, really. And this is actually WAY off from what I had planned, so  
I hope it's good. If not, I can change it back to my original story...  
Please R&R. 


	3. Sick Again

Fevered Dreams  
Thanks for your reviews...  
Right to the point, k?  
******  
Mia woke up with a start the next morning, not quite sure what woke her up. But  
she didn't have to wonder for long before hearing a coughing and then...a sound  
she didn't want to describe, but knew right away what it was.  
  
She slipped out of her bed quietly, put on her slippers and walked to the  
bathroom. She slowly opened the door and peered inside to see Ryo lying on the  
cold tile floor.  
  
"Oh...Ryo." She gasped, hurrying inside and sitting by the warrior's side. He  
didn't wake up as she put her hand to his head. He was hot and it took all her  
strength not to jerk back quickly. He was sleeping now and she didn't see any  
reason to wake him up.  
  
Seeing the toilet was full with vomit, she closed the seat quickly, knowing  
that was what had woken her up. She grimaced at the smell, but turned away  
when she heard the door creak open. In the doorway stood Cye and White Blaze.  
  
The tiger saw Ryo right away and padded up to his master quickly. Curling  
around Ryo's head, he brought the boy closer to him gently before wrapping his  
big paws around him, protecting him from the cold he clearly shivered from.  
It took a minute, but Ryo, still asleep, curled up into the warmth of his tiger  
and fell into a deeper sleep.  
  
Cye walked in as Mia got out a thermometer. He took a seat on the edge of the  
tub as Mia slipped the thermometer into Ryo's mouth and held it there. When it  
finally beeped, she removed it and looked at the reading, slightly startled.  
  
"Well?" Cye asked, when Mia just turned to the sink and washed the thermometer  
off.  
  
"One-hundred and two point seven." She said softly, putting the thermometer  
away and pulling out some flu medicine. She measured out the perscribed amount  
into the small provided cap, capped the medicine bottle, and turned to Ryo. She  
walked over to him, knelt, and hesitated. After a moment, she sighed and shook  
Ryo awake.  
  
White Blaze growled at her, but Ryo woke up with a start. He looked around  
through fever-blurred eyes at where he was until he focused on Mia slightly.  
His mouth moved silently in her name, causing his lips to crack and bleed.  
Mia put a finger to her lips and held out the medicine. She held Ryo's hand  
down when he reached for it, and instead helped him swallow it. Ryo gagged on  
the taste a minute but then yawned.  
  
Shivering a little, he curled back up into the warmth of his tiger and was soon  
asleep again. Mia sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair, smiling sadly  
when Ryo's eyelids started to flicker as he began to dream.  
  
"Poor kid." She murmured softly. She rinsed the cup out and put it on top of  
the medicine before putting the bottle away.  
  
Cye and Mia silently watched Ryo sleep for a little longer. Then Cye leaned  
down and touched White Blaze's shoulder. Gesturing for the tiger to move, the  
tiger gently moved away from his master. Cye then leaned down and picked his  
friend up, first by gently lifting his head up from the ground and then  
slipping his free hand under Ryo's legs. Mia helped Cye stand up as Ryo's head  
slipped into Cye's elbow.  
  
"He's really sick, isn't he?" Cye asked softly, more or less to make  
conversation. Mia nodded as Cye carried Ryo into his room. As he did so, Mia  
went back into the bathroom and flushed the toilet, wincing at the loud noise  
it made. She hoped it wouldn't wake Ryo or the other guys up. They all needed  
to conserve their strength now.  
  
"If this keeps up, we should get him to a doctor." Cye said, startling Mia so  
much that she jumped.  
  
"Cye, don't do that!" She scolded him, holding a hand to her thudding heart.  
  
Cye smiled softly.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Mia nodded slightly, before turning to Cye.  
  
"You and the rest of the guys need to rest and eat healthy from now on...until  
this threat is gone. The armor of Wildfire AND Inferno are no longer available  
for you, and if a dynasty warlord attacks, someone needs to be able to save the  
world." Mia explained out in the hall. "You explain it to the rest of the  
guys...they'll listen to you...and this also means no practice sessions that  
tire you out completely. If they do, you all need to realize I will make you  
take naps like kidergarten children..." Cye put a finger to Mia's lips,  
stopping the list of recommendations that she would have been willing to give.  
  
"Don't worry, Mia. We're big boys now, and I think we know how to take care of  
ourselves."  
  
Mia gave him an incredoulous look before smiling.  
  
"All right, I'll trust you...but I'm still checking up on you like a parent,  
okay?" Cye laughed before nodding his agreement.  
  
They stood in silence outside Ryo's door for a minute more before telling each  
other good night and heading into their seperate rooms and going back to bed.  
  
*****  
That's it for now... 


	4. Nothin' but Sick Days

Fevered Dreams  
Again, right to the point because I'm on a roll.  
Thanks for your reviews.  
******  
Mia set out the plates of food for the guys, then poured glasses of orange  
juice and added vitamins to their plates. She smiled as she realized she  
was going a little overboard, but hopefully the guys wouldn't realize this.  
  
She looked up at the second floor and frowned to not see anybody. It was  
already an hour after when Sage, the early bird, normally woke up, and  
hopefully they were taking her seriously about sleeping in. But then again,  
this was one of the few meals she had made since Cye had established  
himself as cook. If they took too long, their food would be cold.  
  
Frowning even more, she went up the stairs, walked past Ryo's room and  
went right into Cye's room without knocking. The room was empty.  
  
Concerned, she went around to the back of the hall (It's set in a kind of  
block C pattern) and knocked at Sage's door. Hearing no answer, she went  
in to find it as empty as Cye's room. On the final side of the hall, she  
went into Rowen's then Kento's room to find them just as empty. Where had  
those boys gotten too?  
  
Suddenly she realized exactly where they might be. She ran back to Ryo's  
room, threw open the door...only to see Ryo fast asleep. White Blaze stood  
up from his rug and growled at her, glancing over at his master  
occasionally. When Ryo didn't wake up, White Blaze advanced on her, no  
longer growling but pushing her out of the room nonetheless. Realizing the  
tiger was looking out for Ryo's health just like her, she willingly backed  
up, shutting the door for White Blaze.  
  
When the door was closed, she heard White Blaze settle back down and  
smiled.  
  
"That's right, White Blaze...you keep him safe." She whispered to herself  
as she ran silently down the stairs. Then she saw the table and remembered  
her search for the other guys. A pit of fear grew in her stomach. Where  
could they be?  
  
Thinking of only one other place where they could be, she ran outside...to  
find the four boys discussing events quietly on the front stoop. They  
looked up at her when she came out and greeted her for the morning. She  
sighed heavily.  
  
"If you were going to have a meeting, you could have told me...then I  
wouldn't have worried when I couldn't find you." She commented, taking a  
closer inspection at each guy. They all had a sheen of sweat on their face  
and their shirts looked like they had just been changed. Her eyes narrowed,  
realizing they had gotten up earlier to have a long practice session  
without her knowing. "Breakfast is ready for you and then when you all have  
finished, I suggest a nap." She added with a grin.  
  
The boys groaned, knowing they had been caught in the act. However, as she  
ushered them into the kitchen, they smiled at her good-naturedly.  
  
"I promise, half the work was getting them all up three and a half hours  
ago." Cye explained to her, smiling and eyes sparkling. Mia pretended to  
frown at him.  
  
"Fine, but after this, please promise me to sleep in and go to bed early.  
You are the Earth's only hope and you can't allow all of yourselves to be  
sick."  
  
The four warriors exchanged looks, then turned to Mia and gave her a  
salute.  
  
"Yes ma'am!" They chorused before setting to their breakfast.  
  
Mia smiled before going over to the stove. She ladeled some broth into a  
bowl that she had been warming before heading up to Ryo's room.  
  
This time, she stepped in carefully, and smiled at White Blaze, presenting  
her reason for being in Ryo's room again. White Blaze sighed heavily as he  
settled back down on the rug and Mia settled the bowl on a side table  
before stepping out quickly, grabbing some flu medicine and the thermometer  
from the bathroom as well as a cup of water. Sitting down on Ryo's bed, she  
slipped the thermometer in his open mouth and took his temperature again.  
  
When it was finished, she looked at the temperature and groaned.  
  
"Poor baby..." she whispered, running a hand through his damp hair again. A  
one-hundred and four point three temperature would not be fun for anyone.  
Setting the thermometer aside, she decided not to wake Ryo up, but picked  
him up in a sitting position. His head fell back, showing how out he really  
was and Mia gently sat down where his head had been, holding back her  
feelings of pity. She settled his head in her lap and gave him the  
medicine, followed by a small sip of the water. Ryo took it easily once she  
held his mouth shut and tilted his head back. She used the same process for  
the broth, giving him a spoonful at a time and making sure to hold his  
mouth shut when he was swallowing. When he was done, she stroked his hair  
again, feeling pity for him and hoping he would get well. She wasn't even  
aware he was awake until his voice rasped harshly.  
  
"Mama?"  
  
Startled, she jumped a little but looked down at the boy in her lap. His  
eyes were half-open and unfocused. Knowing he was seeing things, she just  
smiled for him and stroked his hair again. Ryo smiled for her and muttered  
a few things that didn't make any sense, his eyes roving over the room and  
head rolling from side to side as he travelled through dreams and memories.  
  
"Hush baby." Mia said softly and Ryo sighed softly for her.  
  
"I'll get better in time for your birthday mama. I'm strong, I promise."  
Ryo told her softly. He reached for her hand and she grasped it and  
continued to stroke his hair with her other hand. He smiled and drifted  
back into unconsciousness.  
  
She continued to drag her fingers through his hair for a few more minutes  
until she was sure he was completely out, then carefully picked him up and  
set him back down on the bed. She tucked the covers around him, touched his  
forehead as soft as a kiss. Then she picked up the bowl, medicine and the  
thermometer and left the room silently.  
  
She cleaned and put away the thermometer and medicine, then headed  
downstairs with the bowl. She saw the table was deserted, but, of course,  
still completely covered with dishes and left-over food.  
  
Smiling, she cleared the table and put the dishes in the sink. Letting the  
water run, she walked into the living room to find the guys.  
  
She didn't have to look far, because all four of the guys were in the  
living room, each fast asleep. Cye and Kento were curled up at each end of  
the couch, Sage had claimed the recliner chair, and Rowen had the love  
couch.  
  
"Well, what do you know, they listened to me." Mia told herself softly. She  
went over to a cupboard and pulled out four blankets, giving one to each  
guy. It wasn't like they needed one, but she draped it over them carefully  
anyways.  
  
When she was finished, she watched them for a minute, smiling, before  
heading back out to the kitchen and washing the dishes.  
******  
Kento yawned and stretched, sitting up on the couch. He looked around and  
saw that the other guys were still fast asleep.  
They hadn't meant to fall asleep. They had meant to just lie down and  
discuss the current events.  
  
Then, when they heard Mia come down the stairs, pretended to be asleep for  
a few minutes until she might be satisfied that they had rested.  
  
"Guess we were a little more tired than we thought." He said, yawning  
again.  
  
He was about to fall asleep again when he heard someone come running down  
the stairs. He turned to see Mia run into the kitchen and he quickly  
lowered his eyelids a little, just in case he really hadn't slept as much  
as he thought he had.  
  
Mia didn't even look into the room as she ran back up the stairs, a bucket  
and washclothes in hand.  
  
Curious, he got up quietly and followed Mia. Just as he was headed up the  
stairs, he looked back into the living room. Cye stretched out a little  
more on the couch, but they were all still asleep.  
  
As he got to the top of the stairs, Kento heard harsh coughing coming from  
Ryo's room but a voice trying to soothe it. He opened Ryo's door and  
peered in...  
Ryo was shaking from the force of his coughing. He was sitting up in bed  
and trying very hard to stop Kento could tell, but he obviously wasn't  
succeeding. Mia was rubbing the warrior's back vigorously and Ryo's room  
smelled rich with a lotion used to clear up congestion.  
  
Feeling sorry for his friend, but not knowing what to do, Kento watched  
silently, hoping...no, praying that he would be able to stop soon. The  
sound of coughing-choking scared Kento for some reason, but he didn't know  
why.  
  
Finally, Ryo coughed harshly one last time before Kento could tell that he  
must have fainted from the harshnes of it. Mia gently reached forward and  
lay Ryo back on the bed, placing a wet washcloth on his forehead. She  
stood up and grabbed a bucket that was by Ryo's bed, then went out into the  
hall where she bumped into Kento.  
  
"Oh...you're up." She said softly, avoiding his eyes.  
  
"Is he going to be okay, Mia?" Kento said, glancing over her head and into  
the room. White Blaze had moved forward and placed a head on Ryo's chest  
and the slight up and down movement of the tiger's head was the only proof  
that Ryo still lived.  
  
Suddenly, Kento was aware of sobbing and he looked down to see Mia clinging  
to his shirt, the pail forgotten and off to the side. Inside, he could see  
the warrior of WildFire had been coughing up vomit and...  
  
"Blood?" He asked Mia, shocked. She nodded numbly against his chest.  
Slowly, Kento brought his arms around Mia and hugged her close until her  
sobs stopped. When she reached for the bucket again,  
  
"How long has this been happening?" he asked.  
  
Mia looked away, but when Kento wouldn't let her pass to gain access to the  
stairs, she sighed and told him.  
"About an hour ago, off and on...three hours after you and the others fell  
asleep."  
  
"Why didn't you wake any of us up? Or better yet, wake up Sage? He could  
have helped Ryo before it got this bad." Kento said, trying to keep his  
frustration out of his voice.  
  
"You were sleeping...I didn't want to disturb you...you need your rest as  
much as him...besides, I don't think even Sage could have done anything  
about it."  
  
Kento glared at the woman before turning around and running down the  
stairs and into the living room. He ran right over to Sage and woke his  
friend up.  
  
Sage looked at him with eyes still heavy with sleep, but when he noted  
Kento's concern, he was awake in a flash.  
  
"What is it? What's wrong?" Sage asked, a little louder than he meant.  
Rowen and Cye stirred and opened their eyes, wondering what was wrong now  
as well.  
  
"It's Ryo...he's coughing blood...according to Mia..." Sage didn't even  
wait to listen. He had leapt out of his chair and brushed past Kento,  
already taking the stairs two at a time. Kento looked to Rowen and Cye,  
who were desperately trying to untangle themselves from the covers as fast  
as they could. Knowing Cye and Rowen would crowd him out, he quickly ran  
toward the stairs to watch Sage...but Mia was at the bottom of the stairs,  
her eyes set in determination and arms across her chest in defiance.  
  
"Mia, let me pass. He's my friend." Kento growled, knowing he would push  
her aside if he had to.  
  
"No." She responded coolly. "You may be his friend, but the three of you are  
just going up there to gawk...some distraction Sage doesn't need and Ryo  
wouldn't appreciate. Instead, the three of you can help me make dinner and  
do a little laundry, now that you are up..."  
  
Kento reached forward to shove Mia aside, but a hand on his shoulder  
stopped him.  
  
"You know she's right, Kento...Let's let Sage handle this, all right?"  
Rowen explained calmly, somewhat forcefully turning Kento toward the  
kitchen. Cye and Mia followed Rowen and Kento into the kitchen to hold  
true to the suggestion and make dinner.  
******  
Sage stared as his pale friend in horror before getting down to business.  
  
He forced White Blaze to move to the side and sat on the edge of the bed.  
Shaking slightly, he grabbed his friend's hands and squeezed them, his  
kanji flaring into existence as his magic probed Ryo carefully. After a  
moment, he pulled back and reached forward, touching one of Ryo's temples  
and ignoring the wet sensation from the washcloth still draped across his  
friends burning forehead. Ignoring the irregular breathing he could hear  
and the fast-racing pulse in his fingertips, he reached out to Ryo's  
subconscious with a mental call.  
  
In a flash, he had reached Ryo's sleeping mind and found Ryo's dream self  
waiting for him.  
  
"Hey Sage." Ryo said softly to his friend, trying to smile for him. Sage  
walked forward as well to greet his friend in his mind's eye, then pulled  
Ryo into a sitting position on the ground which felt like grass but was as  
blue as the sky.  
  
"Hey, I'm here to see if I can help you at all...but you need to tell me  
where the pain is exactly, okay?" Sage asked softly, knowing it was still  
Ryo who would be answering the questions...but even his subconscious might  
be slower because he was so sick. It would be like talking to Ryo as if he  
were awake right now...some things might be said off topic and some things  
would make perfect sense...Sage could only hope for the best.  
  
"It hurts here mostly, especially when I cough." Ryo said after a moment,  
rubbing a palm across the upper half of his chest.  
  
"Can you describe it to me?"  
  
Ryo thought about it, then shook his head.  
  
"I just know it hurts really bad and...I feel it bubble...sorry." Ryo added  
when he noticed Sage looked confused. He hung his head like a bad child and  
Sage reached out to comfort him.  
  
"You did a great job Ryo. I'm going to see if I can't make you feel any  
better, all right?" Sage told him and Ryo gave him a weak smile.  
  
Then Sage pulled his fingers physically away from Ryo's temple and he could  
see Ryo's pale, sleeping face again.  
  
Without hesitating, he reached out and laid a palm against Ryo's chest  
softly, then closed his eyes to see them filled with a lot of congestion.  
Not knowing what else to do, Sage set a spasm into the diaphragm then  
pulled back quickly. He picked up another bucket Mia had handy in the room,  
then helped Ryo into a sitting position. Once there, Ryo coughed, but this  
time no blood came out, just the congestion that had filled his lungs.  
  
When he was done, Sage set the bucket aside, then checked on Ryo's lungs  
again. He was pleased to see that they were clear and Ryo was breathing  
much easier. Smiling, he touched Ryo's forehead and sent him off into  
deeper slumber.  
  
"Get better soon, Ryo. We need you to be our leader again."  
******  
The man worked long and hard as he picked a few of the thick strands of  
black out of the Ryo doll and set them on the Sage doll. As soon as they  
were set on Sage, they disappeared. The man growled.  
  
"I don't want to kill them...no, I need to use them as an advantage in the  
end...but I can't have Halo healing everyone when they get sick either."  
  
He pulled an especially long strand from Ryo, then made a slit on the Sage  
doll's foot. Carefully, he slipped the strand in and was pleased to see it  
manifested itself quickly.  
  
"Good...good...this shall work out after all."  
******  
So what does this man have in store for the Ronins? He doesn't want them  
to die, but he does want them crippled with sickness. Also, it doesn't look  
like the rest of the Ronins will last long if the man keeps using dirty  
tricks to get his way...  
Please R&R and look forward to the next chapter. 


	5. Dirty Tricks

Fevered Dreams  
Thanks for the Reviews, and right to the point again.  
******(The next day)  
Sage ducked the next blow Rowen tried to land easily. Then he tried to catch Rowen off guard with  
his own blow. Rowen, seeing the attack coming, ducked out of the way at the last minute, obviously  
hoping to make his enemy go skidding past. Sage stopped quickly, turned, and blocked the kick that  
Rowen aimed at his head.  
  
"Hey guys!" Mia called from the doorway, stopping the guys in their sparring session as they looked  
up at her. She was smiling, something she hadn't been doing all that day, and the guys couldn't  
help but smile back.  
  
Although Ryo wasn't better, he wasn't getting any worse. His temperature had dropped to one hundred  
and two point five as well...still too high, but better than the one hundred five it had peaked  
at. He slept peacefully and was able to hold down food. No one saw the need for a doctor anymore,  
even though Ryo still slept more than anything.  
  
"Time for lunch." She explained. She pointed out the towels she had draped over the porch, one for  
each of them. "Also, I'm tired of mopping up after you guys...take your shoes off when you go in."  
She disappeared inside as the boys smiled at each other. They hadn't worn shoes inside her house  
ever, but Mia always told them the same thing, always warned them to not wear their shoes inside the  
house.  
  
They wiped the sweat from their faces and dried their damp hair a little before stepping into the  
small hall. Slipping out of their shoes, they then headed one by one to the dining room, Kento first  
and Sage coming last.  
  
As Sage stepped over the boundary seperating the hall from the rest of the house, he stepped on an  
unseen nail.  
  
"Ah, damn!" Sage yelled, sitting down on the floor to take a look as Rowen turned back to see what  
was wrong. Seeing blood, Rowen called to Cye, telling him to bring in their first aid kit.  
  
Cye did so quickly. He washed the blood and small amount of dirt off from the Warrior of Halo's  
foot.  
  
"It's not bad, but you really stepped on that nail. It could get infected, especially if the nail  
was rusty or anything like that. I suggest you heal it, or let us lay you up for a few days."  
  
Sage watched the blood gather at the wound again before reaching out with a hand to heal it. As he  
did so, a small strip of black flashed across the wound that nobody seemed to notice.  
  
"Can you guys do me a favor and find the nail while I do this?" Sage asked as he closed his eyes. He  
heard soft replies from Rowen and Cye as he concentrated on his healing ability. Slowly, he pictured  
the skin knitting together, the blood clotting, the torn vein slowly mending.  
  
When he opened his eyes, there was a mere pinprick scar where the nail had stabbed him. He stood up  
and, not seeing Rowen or Cye in the room with him, headed into the dining room to eat lunch. He sat  
down with his friends and helped himself to the food available.  
  
"Sage, we couldn't find a nail at all." Cye explained as he grabbed an apple from the middle of the  
table before Kento could. Kento shot him a grouchy look as he leaned back in his chair, growling  
when Cye deliberately took a big bite of the apple.  
  
"That's okay...but I'm wearing shoes from now on." He teased, looking over at Mia and smiling. She  
gave him a sarcastic smile as well before finishing her salad. She stood up and got a bowl of broth  
ready for Ryo.  
  
"You guys should rest again, okay?" Mia added before heading upstairs to Ryo's room. The guys  
groaned audibly for her but they knew she was right. Whatever Ryo had was scary as it continued to  
attack him, no matter what medicine he took or food he could keep down. The guys were willing to  
sacrifice a few hours of their time to prevent that disease from attacking them.  
  
When they were finished with lunch, they placed the dishes in the sink before heading into the  
living room. Taking up the same positions Mia had found them in the day before, they quickly fell  
asleep.  
******  
Sage woke up slowly, not sure what had woken him. He glanced at his watch and realized he had only  
been asleep for forty-five minutes. He rolled over and tried to fall back asleep, only to find that  
a headache was preventing him from doing so.  
  
Rubbing the remainder of sleep out of his eyes, he pushed the recliner chair up so he could get out.  
The blanket that he had unknowingly wrapped tight around himself needed a little coaxing before he  
was completely free.  
  
Shivering a little, he headed up the stairs and into the bathroom. He didn't have to search very far  
before finding the Advil. Taking two quickly with a cup of water, Sage then decided he could sleep  
much better in his own room.  
  
As he headed out though, something pulled him to Ryo's room and he stepped in to find Mia resting  
with her head on Ryo's desk. Sage smiled before pulling up another chair beside Ryo's bed. He  
watched his friend sleep for a little before lightly touching his temple and being pulled into his  
subconscious without even meaning too.  
  
In his mind's eye, Sage saw beautiful red and brown canyons, dipping and rising as far as the eye  
could see.  
  
"Hey Sage...it's been a while, so I called you. Glad you got my message." Ryo's voice drifted to him  
from behind and Sage turned to see Ryo relaxing on a large boulder that gave a wonderful view of the  
canyons. Sage smiled at his friend and joined him on the boulder.  
  
"Is that what woke me up? Your call?" Sage asked and Ryo shook his head.  
  
"No, you were awake." Ryo added softly, his eyes drifting away from his friend and back to the  
canyon in front of them.  
  
"So...how you feelin'?" Sage asked after a moment, his own eyes roving across the scenery.  
  
"Better...but I'm still going to be out, I can tell."  
  
"That's fine. Take your time and get better." Sage took another look at the canyons, knowing he knew  
something about them, but wasn't quite sure. "So, where are we?"  
  
"I'm hoping this is the Grand Canyon in the United States. I've always wanted to see it, but I'm  
going by textbook pictures for now. Trust me this is the only fun thing there is to do when you're  
sick." Ryo waved his left hand a few times and the scenery before them shimmered, then changed into  
tall, snow-covered mountains. "The Appalachians also are pretty, but also just pictures from text  
books. I've gone through so many, I'm almost worried I'll know the place too well when I finally  
get to see them." Ryo laid back on the boulder, basking in imaginary sun as the sky above turned to  
blue with fluffy white clouds drifting lazily across. "I'm bored, Sage. At least you and the others  
have free will still, to do what you want when you want...my own body can't listen to me, I'm so  
sick." Sage chuckled softly and Ryo looked over at him. "What? What's so funny?"  
  
"Free will? Yeah right! Mia should have a new name during all of this...Iron Fist Mia sounds about  
right." Ryo laughed slightly at the name, and even harder when Sage explained to him all the crazy  
steps Mia was taking to keep the others safe.  
  
"I mean, she makes us take naps and..." Sage stopped explaining suddenly, grabbing his head in his  
mind's eye as pain shot through him. He fought to keep his face blank, to not register the pain, but  
he knew he was losing the battle.  
  
"Sage? Hey, Sage? You okay?" Ryo was next to his friend, his hands supporting the mental image of  
Sage in his mind. Sage opened his eyes to see his friend's face etched in concern just as another  
spasm of pain shot through his body. He groaned a little and lowered his head. "Sage?"  
  
"N-nothing, everything's fine...I...I gotta go." Sage explained, and he removed his fingers from  
Ryo's temple before the Warrior of Wildfire could ask any other questions.  
  
He could see Ryo sleeping again, and out of the corner of his eye, Mia sleeping on the desk still,  
her position only slightly different from when he had started to talk to Ryo.  
  
Ryo moved and groaned. Sage could tell he was trying to wake up, to see what was wrong with Sage. He  
didn't need that, so Sage touched Ryo's brow again and forced the Warrior to fall asleep. Once  
Ryo was completely relaxed, he pulled his fingers back and took a deep breath, trying to stop the  
pain that was still coursing through him.  
  
White Blaze looked up from his position on the rug, studying Sage as he stumbled out of the room  
and to the railing. He whined as he looked back to his master and then back out the door to Sage.  
Hesitating, the tiger finally laid his head back down, but kept his eyes focused on the shadow just  
outside the room, determined to help if Halo needed it.  
  
Sage's ears were ringing with the pain as he leaned on the railing, straining to hear through it. He  
had to know if his friends were awake...  
  
After not hearing anything for a few minutes, he finally pulled back, deciding they must still be  
asleep. He stumbled to the bathroom, pulled out the thermometer and slipped it into his mouth. While  
he waited for the thermometer to record his temperature, he pulled out two flu tablets. When the  
thermometer beeped, he took a look and swore. The instrument told him his temperature was just a  
little over one hundred.  
  
He cleaned off the thermometer and took the two tablets without any water. He composed himself for a  
moment before stumbling to his bedroom and falling into his own bed. He shivered and slipped under  
the covers as he glanced at the clock.  
  
"Three-thirty." He muttered to himself before letting his eyes close and drift away.  
******  
"Rowen..." Someone muttered in Rowen's ear, trying to wake him up. He batted them away, rolled over,  
and tried to fall back asleep. But the voice was back, whispering, tickling his ear. "Rowen...wake  
up..." Rowen pulled the blanket he knew that was covering him up over his head only to find the  
covers torn down a moment later. "Rowen!"  
  
"I'm up!" He cried, sitting up on the couch to stare into...green eyes?  
  
Rowen puzzled about this for a minute before realizing the eyes belonged to Mia, not Sage, who  
normally was the one to risk his neck and wake up the warrior of Strata...no one else dared. He  
groaned and pulled the covers back over his head.  
  
"Rowen, I'm going to count to five and you better be up out of that couch and heading out to dinner,  
or else I'm going to throw it out. And I promise, you won't get any food for the rest of the night."  
Mia threatened, and Rowen's stomach grumbled in protest to this threat. Groaning again, he pulled  
the covers down and glared at Mia. She smiled at him brightly before heading out to the dining room.  
Rowen was ready to fall back asleep when he heard Mia threaten, "One..."  
  
Rowen sighed heavily and got off the couch. He stretched and noticed that Cye and Kento were still  
fast asleep on the couch. Growling at Mia's cruel sense of humor, he went over to the two warriors  
and shook them awake roughly because of his bad mood. He turned to see if Sage was still asleep only  
to see the recliner abandoned, the blanket left in a heap at the foot of the chair. He thought about  
this for a minute, then shrugged as he went back to waking Cye and Kento up.  
  
"Well, this is a little ironic." Cye said as he stretched and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Rowen  
gave him a synical smile before shaking Kento again.  
  
"This is something I NEVER expected to see..." Kento mumbled when he looked up to see who had  
disturbed him.  
  
"Funny, guys...dinner's ready, and Mia's threatened to throw it out if we don't hurry." He explained  
as he waited for his friends to untangle themselves from the mess of blankets. The three walked  
into the dining room together to see Mia starting to eat the food that had been set out for them.  
They were used to seeing Ryo's empty seat by now, but Sage wasn't there either and that was new.  
  
Feeling a pit of dread in his stomach, Rowen voiced the question that was on their minds.  
  
"Mia, where's Sage?"  
  
Mia looked around, startled.  
  
"I thought you knew." She told them, shrugging. The boys were silent for a minute before Rowen  
volunteered to go look for their blond companion upstairs. The others agreed and Rowen sprinted up  
the stairs, taking them two at a time.  
  
He opened the door to Ryo's room only to find Ryo fast asleep and a protective White Blaze watching  
him from the rug...but no Sage.  
  
Confused, Rowen checked the bathroom and Mia's computer room before seeing that Sage's door to his  
bedroom was closed. Smiling and knowing that he had found the Warrior of Halo, he confidently  
opened the door and stepped inside. Sure enough, a blond head was all that could be seen from the  
bed, but it confirmed Rowen's suspicions.  
  
His smile grew even more as he stepped up to the bed and shook his friend's shoulder. The covers  
didn't move at all, but a muffled voice emerged from them to ask a simple question.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's dinnertime...kind of ironic after all the times you've woken me up that I have to..." Sage's  
soft, constant breathing made Rowen stop as he realized his friend had fallen back asleep. "Oh, come  
on Sage, was I really this bad for you?" Rowen complained as he shook his friend awake again. The  
covers still didn't move as Sage tried to explain a little for his friend.  
  
"Rowen, please...I'm still really tired."  
  
"So was I when you woke me up all the time, but that didn't stop you...Sage, come on, talk to me..."  
Rowen asked irritably, and he pulled down Sage's covers to see his friend's face, then stopped in  
shock as he noted his friend's fever-flushed cheeks, pale face and sweaty bangs.  
  
"Rowen! I told you, I'm..." Sage started loudly, but had to stop before he could finish the  
sentence because he began to cough harshly. He held a hand to his mouth and turned away from Rowen,  
trying to stop on his own.  
  
"You're sick." Rowen stated simply. Sage couldn't reply through his coughing, but started coughing  
harder, his face turning redder.  
  
Rowen listened for a moment more before he stepped out of Sage's room. He went into the bathroom and  
retrieved a cup of water before returning to Sage's room. Sage, meanwhile, had continued to cough  
and was now shaking from the force behind it.  
  
Rowen put a hand to his friend's back, then tipped the water to Sage's mouth. At first, Sage still  
coughed and the water dribbled down his neck uselessly. Eventually, though, Sage was able to swallow  
a little water and the coughing slowed as more water was swallowed. Finally, he was able to stop  
coughing, although he still gasped for air.  
  
"Thanks Ro." Sage said after a moment. Rowen smiled for his friend as he stood up.  
  
"No problem. You rest up and I'll bring up some of the extra broth Mia always makes for Ryo..."  
Rowen said to his friend, but Sage wrinkled his nose at the mention of broth. Rowen laughed, which  
made Sage smile, but it quickly faded when he said what was next on his mind to Rowen.  
  
"Rowen, please...don't tell the others I'm sick..."  
  
"Sage, they're your friends. They'll understand and they have a right to know."  
  
"They'll find out on their own tomorrow morning." Sage defended himself. "I hate being sick and I...  
I just don't want them to know that I'm sick right now...please."  
  
Rowen sighed before nodding in agreement. He told Sage to rest until he got back before going  
downstairs for dinner.  
  
"Did you find Sage?" Mia asked, looking up from her empty plate and almost completely devastated  
kitchen. Cye and Kento were no where to be found.  
  
"Uh...yeah, but he's still sleeping." Rowen half-lied to Mia quickly. "He's going to take a shower,  
then come down, but I said I'd bring dinner to him...so...where's Cye and Kento?"  
Mia sighed as she picked up three empty plates and put them in the sink to wash.  
  
"Yeah, they decided to go play that PS2...not to hard to imagine, right?" Mia asked as Rowen piled  
a little food on a plate for himself, then poured a little broth into a bowl for Sage. "What's the  
broth for?"  
  
"Um...well...Sage...uh..." Rowen tried to explain.  
  
"Is he sick?" Mia asked, concerned as she got another bowl ready for Ryo.  
  
"No! He just...wants to make sure he doesn't get sick. If you think about it, he's spent the most  
time, next to you, with Ryo...I don't think it's odd at all that he wants to take extra steps to  
stay healthy." Rowen said, heading towards the stairs to get away from Mia.  
  
"Well, I guess not..." Mia added to what Rowen had said before realizing the warrior of Strata was  
already gone. Mia shook her head before heading upstairs and into Ryo's room with a bowl of broth.  
  
Rowen shut the door behind him as Sage watched him from the bed. Rowen pulled a lampstand over,  
removing the lamp and placing the broth and other food on it.  
  
He pulled up a chair and sat down before noticing the look Sage was giving him.  
  
"I swear, the guys don't know, and I didn't tell. Mia guessed though." Rowen added sheepishly. Sage  
shrugged it off and Rowen handed him the bowl of broth and a spoon.  
  
The two friends enjoyed each other's company and talked lightly as they finished their dinner.  
******  
Just be patient, another part should be up soon...and this, I hope, was my worst chapter... 


	6. True Intentions

Fevered Dreams  
Right to the point, once again...  
******  
Kento woke up late, around 9:45 am. He was suprised that no one had bothered to wake him up before  
now for practice, but his growling stomach ignored the thought as he smelled breakfast being  
cooked.  
  
"So they all decided to sleep in, no big deal." Kento thought to himself as he quickly pulled on a  
new shirt and pants. Without another moment's hesitation, he flew down the stairs and to the  
kitchen...only to see a tired Mia filling a singular plate. No one sat at the table and the house  
was utterly silent, he noticed now that he had stopped stomping around.  
  
"Good morning Kento. Your breakfast is ready, however please be quiet from now on when getting up.  
We have many people who need their rest." Mia said, handing him his plate but keeping her eyes  
hidden behind her hair. However, her voice was not masked as well and he could detect the pain and  
sadness there.  
  
"Mia...where are the others?" Kento asked, ignoring the plate of food in his hands.  
  
Her eyes remained shaded as she replied.  
  
"Resting...it would be wise for you to do the same."  
  
Kento placed the plate on the table and turned back to her, holding her from leaving with one hand.  
  
"Mia...the others...are they all sick?"  
  
Mia was silent, but then she looked up at him. Her eyes were brimming with tears.  
  
"Sage and Cye got sick during the night...Rowen and I moved Sage to Ryo's room while Cye stayed in  
his. Rowen then stayed up all night watching over the three. I'm going up to relieve him so he can  
eat and get his own rest." She explained. Kento's face clouded with sadness as he sat down at the  
table.  
  
"I'll help as soon as I'm done with breakfast." Kento said and sat to scarfing down his food as  
quickly as possible. By the time he was done, Mia was gone, and Rowen was sitting at the table with  
him, a look of disgust on his face. In front of him, Rowen had an uneaten bowl of oatmeal, but  
food couldn't make a big enough distraction as he noticed how tired Rowen looked...more than usual,  
and as if he was losing hope.  
  
"Hey, buddy! Eat up, rest up. I'm going to go help Mia and the other guys." Kento explained as he  
rinsed his plate off. He saw Rowen nod numbly and begin to eat before he took the stairs two at a  
time, trying to be as quiet as he could.  
  
Walking quietly over to Ryo's room, he pushed open the door with one hand. In the bed nearest to  
the door slept Ryo, White Blaze curled up nearby. Then, in the extra bed each room had that was  
lined up against the window, Sage slept peacefully.  
  
Kento walked in and was almost suffocated by the smell of sinus-clearing lotion. Off towards the  
right, near Ryo's closet, a humidifier hummed softly, filling the air with steam, making it easier  
for someone with clogged sinuses to breathe. And since the two looked like they were sleeping  
peacefully, Kento figured the humidifier was doing its job.  
  
"Thanks for your help, Kento." Mia's voice said softly behind him and he turned to see her hugging  
her chest tightly. "Sorry I wasn't in here when you came, but...Cye had a nightmare, so I was  
taking care of that. It's even worse when one of you are sick and have a nightmare...you think I  
might be the enemy sometimes."  
  
"Mia, did Cye hurt you?" Kento asked, suddenly worried if his friend had done something in his  
fevered state.  
  
Mia looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears again. "No...he didn't hurt me physically...but  
just seeing him so helpless...it's enough to break my heart. Kento...you have to promise me, no  
matter what, that you won't get sick like them!" Mia said suddenly.  
  
"What...Mia? I can't promise that! For all I know, I could get sick in an hour or so...I can only  
try to stop something like that from happening...not guarantee it." Kento explained to her softly,  
looking away from her tear-filled eyes.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Kento watched some of Mia's hope die in her eyes at his words. She  
hung her head, took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  
  
"I know...I know you can't promise me something like that. I'm sorry." She was silent for a few  
minutes before turning to the door. "Watch them for a few minutes while I get some broth ready."  
She didn't even wait for an answer before exiting the room.  
  
"Sure, Mia." Kento said softly, knowing there was no one in the room who would even register it but  
himself. He listened to Mia walk down the stairs before turning back to the occupants of Ryo's  
room. "Get better guys...I just know that this will hurt Mia the most..."  
  
Kento stood in the middle of the room, listening to Ryo and Sage's soft breathing for a moment  
before settling down on an extra chair, waiting for Mia to come back with the broth.  
******  
Kento leaned back in the chair again and stretched. Mia had just gone to wash the bowls of broth  
out while he was to look after the guys while they continued to sleep.  
  
"This is depressing." Kento murmured to himself as he looked at Ryo, then at Sage. After a few more  
minutes, he then stood up and walked into Cye's room to check on him. The warrior of Torrent slept  
peacefully and Kento leaned up against the door frame for a moment, not sure of what else he could  
do to help.  
  
After a few minutes, he went back into Ryo's room to find Mia sitting in his old chair, drinking a  
cup of coffee carefully. She looked up and acknowledged him shortly before tending to her cup of  
coffee again. Kento pulled up another chair and sat beside her, watching as Ryo and Sage continued  
to rest, gaining strength to battle the virus inside them. As he watched them, Kento suddenly  
remembered a dream he had had earlier that week...about a man pouring a black substance over the  
city of Toyama...  
  
Thinking he had nothing else to lose other than a conversation that would fall on deaf ears, he  
decided to share his dream with Mia.  
  
"Hey, Mia...this is a little scary, what with the guys getting all sick and everything...mainly  
becuase I feel like it has happened before or something like that." He looked up from his story,  
noted that Mia was interested, that she was watching him. Feeling a little more confident, he  
continued with his story. "Well, I didn't see any of our friends getting sick, but I did see a...  
scientist, and he measured out an equal amount of different colored liquids. The liquids were red,  
yellow, green, black...I can't remember all of them. But what startled me the most is that he...  
chanted something, then poured the substance over Toyama...and then over five dolls..." He stopped  
and looked at Mia, knowing his story sounded ridiculous. Instead, he saw that Mia was paying utmost  
attention to him, her eyes fixed on him.  
  
"Kento...do you think you can remember what you heard the man chant?" Mia asked softly, trying to  
convince Kento to keep on talking.  
  
"Yeah...it was a stupid little poem or something that didn't go together, but he said something  
like, um, 'Fever of Fire...Cough of Thunder...Weakness in every limb...'...I can't remember the  
rest, but it..." He was cut off by a voice from Sage as he finished the poem.  
  
"Such shall be...the Ronin's fall..." Sage said softly, but it was loud enough for both of them to  
hear it clearly.  
  
Once the poem was said, Sage rolled over in his bed and drifted back to sleep. Mia shivered at what  
she had heard and she knew without looking that Kento was unnerved as well.  
  
"Yeah...that's what the guy said..." Kento said, finally tearing his eyes away from the sleeping  
Sage. To say he was unnerved was an understatement...he was now officially terrified.  
  
Mia kept her cool and told Kento that he would be of more use to go buy more medicine and such.  
Once he was gone, she took her laptop from her computer room and hooked it up in Ryo's room.  
Without waiting five minutes after Kento had left for the store, she was already on several search  
engines, trying to find out what this little poem could mean...  
****** (That night)  
Rowen gently tapped Kento's shoulder at midnight that night. The warrior of Hardrock looked up  
into his friend's face and grinned. Stretching, he stood up and turned away from Sage and Ryo, who  
were still sleeping peacefully. However, it hadn't been that way since Kento had taken over Mia's  
duty at five that evening.  
  
"They have nightmares occassionally...really bad ones too...but Sage was the last one to have one,  
about an hour ago, so you should be free for a while before any one has one..." Kento whispered to  
Rowen, who calmly took the advice as they walked together to Kento's room. The warrior of Strata  
watched his friend fall asleep before returning to the rooms of those sick.  
  
Inside Cye's room, he checked on his friend, placed a cool washcloth on his head, then turned to a  
bookshelf that was off to the right. Scanning the titles, he quickly picked one off that was called  
"I Wish to See...", a story about a girl who would die soon from a fatal disease. He had started  
reading it once before but had gotten depressed with it and never finished it. Now that he had a  
seven hour watch ahead of him, he figured he would have all the time in the world to finally finish  
it.  
  
He walked back into Ryo's room and checked on the two occupants before settling down in a chair  
near Ryo's bed and opening the book to its first page. He had barely begun to read, however, when  
he heard a soft voice. He turned, marking the line in his book with a finger, to see Ryo, his eyes  
open and staring uncannily straight at him.  
  
Rowen set the book down and picked up a washcloth that rested in a basin nearby. Carefully, he  
exchanged the washcloth on Ryo's forehead with the damp one. As the new washcloth touched his head,  
he heard Ryo say something again and he leaned in closer to hear it.  
  
"He's coming, Rowen...He's coming." Ryo whispered, his lips cracking and bleeding because they were  
so dry. Rowen leaned closer and put a hand to Ryo's cheek, taking his temperture by a guessing  
method.  
  
"Who's coming, Ryo?" Rowen asked as he did so, trying to find out what was going on.  
  
Ryo fixed his bright blue eyes on Rowen and Rowen noted they were now clouded and dull from the  
fever. He took a glass of water and sat Ryo up, slipping some of it down the Ronin of Wildfire's  
throat. He then repeated his question as he settled Ryo back down on the bed.  
  
"Source." Was all Ryo said and when Rowen looked back, Wildfire slept peacefully once again.  
******  
So? What do you think, huh? Next one, up and coming... 


	7. Destroying the Obstruction

Fevered Dreams  
So, is the dream true or not? Well, we'll see, shan't we?  
******  
Rowen puzzled over what Ryo had to say for a few minutes before waking Mia up and asking her. While  
she was trying to gather facts, Kento came in to see what all the noise was about. Rowen explained  
what he knew once again, a retelling for Mia and a first time tale for Kento. When he was finished,  
Kento waved it all aside.  
  
"Oh come on, Ryo was probably just delirious. You know, the fever finally got to him." Kento told  
them, acting like he knew everything. Normally, Mia and Rowen might have smiled, as well as the  
other Ronin Warriors...however, no one found this funny at the moment, and Kento certainly didn't  
mean to seem funny.  
  
"I don't think it was delirium, Kento...I think that Ryo, in his weakened state, might have  
stumbled across something we dismiss as being blatently impossible." He looked up at his friends  
and sighed at Kento's bewildered look. "What I mean is that someone found a way to create a disease  
and force our bodies to be its host. My guess, a dynasty minion or warlord trying to kill us  
again."  
  
"So you think the dynasty hasn't had enough yet? That they are willing to try and fight us again?"  
Kento asked, looking excited at the prospect of another battle.  
  
"Yeah, that would be my guess, but they've become wise. Instead of attacking us physically, they  
attack us through an enemy we can't see." Rowen mused as Mia shook her head.  
  
"And I think you're both cracked." She told them, getting out of bed to stand next to the pair. "I  
don't think the dynasty has anything to do with it! If you are going to act delirious, then go to  
bed right now. It's about time for me to watch them anyways." She glanced at the clock to see it  
read 12:37 am.  
  
"No, Mia, I'll finish my watch and wake you up at seven, don't worry!" Rowen told her. Seeing a  
look of concentration on his face, she knew that he would not rest until he had solved or come to  
a half-way decent solution to the problem presented to them. She sighed heavily and gave in.  
  
"All right, but then I want you to rest a bunch tomorrow, both of you!" Mia told them before  
forcing them out of her room. Her door shut softly and Kento yawned, telling Rowen good night.  
Alone, he walked back to the room that contained the sick, determined to solve the riddle.  
******  
"You don't know how right Rowen was." The man in the white lab coat hissed as he tore his eyes away  
from the seeing crystal. "However, I cannot have that warrior of wisdom uncovering any more of my  
plots..." With that, he stormed over to his table and picked up two dolls that were not covered in  
black goo like the other three. The dolls bore a strange resemblance to Kento and Rowen before the  
man plunged them into a vat bubbling with a thick, black, gooey substance.  
  
He waited a moment, then removed the two dolls and grinned gleefully to see the black goo manifest  
itself into the dolls.  
  
"Wonderful." He said happily as he placed the dolls among the other three. As he did so, though, a  
red orb suddenly sprang up around the warrior that looked like Ryo.  
  
"What's this?" He asked, tapping the solid orb with a finger. As he did so, the black goo that had  
been left on his hands immediately vaporized. "Ah, the legendary armor...it is trying to protect  
its bearer, but it will be no use. In a few days time, I will finally be the sole ruler of the  
world."  
  
The man started to laugh manically, and as he did so, a small strip of the black goo on the Ryo  
doll slowly sizzled then disappeared. The man was not even aware of it.  
******  
Back at the mansion, Ryo rolled over in his sleep, his kanji flaring to life quickly, but just as  
quickly fading. Rowen looked up from his puzzling only to see Ryo with his back to him. Unable to  
sense the energy that had at first disturbed him, he shrugged it off and went back to his  
puzzling.  
******  
Whoo-hoo! Finally! Now they start to get better, but I promise, the scientist wont give up that  
easily... 


	8. All Sick

Fevered Dreams  
So, the Armor of Wildfire has been activated...and it looks like the scientist is going to get rid  
of the final Ronin threat before the night is done...Rowen and Kento, watch out!  
Hehehe! Hope you enjoy!  
*****  
Rowen groaned in pain as he stepped out of Cye's room after checking on his friend. Rowen didn't  
feel right...his stomach was hurting and his legs felt weak.  
  
"What is wrong with me?" Rowen mumbled to himself as he stepped into the bathroom, hardly aware of  
the light that he turned on. His vision swimming, he reached out and pulled open the medicine  
cabinet, but he didn't reach for anything as the medicines became a blur. In this state, whatever  
he grabbed could bring his death, and Rowen acknowledged this easily.  
  
Swallowing heavily, he turned the water to the sink on instead. He let it run over his hands  
until the water turned cold, then he carefully lifted a little to his mouth, drinking a little.  
When he was finished with that, he splashed his face, but the feeling of weakness and sickness  
did not leave him.  
  
"Damn...I wonder if we really are being hunted down by this disease." Rowen thought to himself as  
he turned off the water. His hands shook while he did so.  
  
"Rowen?" Someone asked from the doorway and he turned toward the person to see Mia.  
  
Rowen smiled weakly for her and tried to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but he fell to his  
knees instead.  
  
"God, Rowen, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?" Mia was telling him softly and he  
opened his eyes to find himself on the bathroom floor.  
  
He looked around for a minute before turning back to Mia.  
  
"I would have told you...if it hadn't come on so suddenly..." Rowen explained, trying to force  
himself to stand. A hand was laid on his shoulder during his struggle and Rowen looked up to see  
Kento staring at him sadly. He looked like he was feeling as bad as Rowen.  
  
"Hey, I wasn't feeling well and I figured something was up." Kento explained to Rowen as he laced  
one of Rowen's arms over his shoulder. "Come on, let's get both of our butts into bed. Something  
is seriously wrong, but we can't do anything if we're sick."  
  
Mia followed the two boys out of the bathroom and watched as Kento settled Rowen in Cye's room,  
on the free bed. Kento came out and stood next to Mia as Rowen drifted off to sleep, knowing he  
was safe among friends.  
  
"Kento? Are you sick too?" Mia asked, fear catching her voice. If he was sick, she would be alone  
to tend for five sick boys.  
  
Kento nodded.  
  
"You don't look sick...are you sure?" Mia asked, praying that he was wrong. Kento turned to face  
her and Mia noted how sick he really looked.  
  
"I'm the warrior of Strength...I never really get too sick and if I do, I can hold it off for a  
long time or hide how I truly feel. Right now, it's breaking down my shield, and I know you can  
tell for yourself. I'm sorry Mia, I don't want you to have to face this on your own." Kento told  
her softly. Mia bit her lip and held back her fears.  
  
"I'm going to be fine Kento...you rest and get better." Mia told him, her voice unusually still.  
  
Kento looked her over, then nodded. "If I rest now, I'll probably have it beat in a day or so. You  
wont need to watch over me like you'll have to for the other guys though." Kento said as Mia  
walked with him back to his room.  
  
"If you're sure...but I'll still bring you food so you don't have to worry about that...just  
concentrate on getting better." Mia told him as Kento crawled back into his own bed and drifted  
off to sleep.  
  
Quietly, Mia returned to Cye's room to check on the sick, holding back a sob of despair.  
  
"I'm all alone now."  
  
She checked Cye and Rowen carefully, then heads into Ryo's room. She quiets Sage and gives him a  
drink of water before heading over to Ryo, who is sleeping peacefully. She lays a hand against his  
forehead and is pleased to find he isn't so hot.  
  
Mia gathers her courage as she heads downstairs to get some food for the guys ready.  
  
Meanwhile, in another part of town, a mad scientist finishes his plans for dominating the world  
while all of the people are sick with the virus he created.  
*****  
Very lame, I know, but another transition chapter where I don't know how to make it any better.  
Please bear with me and wait for the next chapter. 


	9. Ryo's better!

Fevered Dreams  
So, what do you think will happen?  
That's your job at the end of this...tell me what you think will happen.  
It's starting to wrap up a little.  
*****(Two days later)  
Ryo sighed heavily and shifted his body off his right side. It felt like he had been laying on that side  
for days and it was now numb with pain.  
  
As he turned over and tried to sleep on his other side, he was suddenly aware of shuffling in his room.  
Opening an eye again, he noticed Mia lean over the extra bed, but he couldn't tell why...not until he saw  
her come back up with an unconscious Sage in her arms.  
  
"What?" He asked softly and sat up straight to see Sage cough, then retch into a bucket Mia held for him  
between his legs.  
  
Ryo noted Sage's pale face, the cheeks flushed with fever. His hair was plastered down with sweat and as  
he continued to retch into the bucket, Mia moved the hair away from his eyes, stroking it like a mother  
would for a child.  
  
After several minutes, Sage finally stopped and Mia stood up with the bucket after she had settled Sage  
back into the bed. Ryo settled back into the covers as Mia exited the room, not even aware that Ryo had  
woken up.  
  
Ryo pondered everything for a few minutes as he listened to Sage's hoarse breathing.  
  
"I got sick...and the others must have gotten sick as well. I'm the first one to get better too..." Ryo  
puzzled as he laid in bed. Not being able to find a comfortable spot, he finally sat up again and soon  
slipped on his slippers that were near the bed. Getting out of bed and testing his muscles, he was  
disappointed at how weak he felt he had become. "I must have been out for a long time." Ryo told himself  
with a frown.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a moan come from Sage and he went immediately over to his friend's side. As Sage began  
to cough again, Ryo grabbed a pillow from his bed and slipped it under his friend's head, easing his  
breathing. Then Ryo grabbed a cup of water and helped Sage drink some.  
  
As he finished and set the glass aside on the desk, he heard a gasp and the shatter of glass behind him.  
He turned slowly to see Mia in the doorway, shaking and tears cascading down her face.  
  
"Mia..." Ryo said, pushing himself to his feet and walking a few feet closer to her. Mia, who looked  
throughly exhausted, fell to her knees and Ryo caught her. "Mia?"  
  
"Ryo...it's really you...you're all better..." Mia choked out before breaking down in sobs that she tried  
to rub away with the back of her hand.  
  
"Shh...it's okay, I'm all right." Ryo comforted the young woman until her sobs slowly stopped and she  
pulled back from him to look at his face.  
  
She smiled and more tears fell from her eyes when she was positive this was real and not a dream.  
  
"Oh, god...Ryo, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault." Mia said suddenly as she burst into tears again. Ryo  
stroked her back and asked her what she thought was her fault. "The death...of...the...Ronin...Warriors."  
Mia explained, her sobs preventing her from getting out what she had to say all at once. "I wasn't...  
strong enough...I couldn't...be there...for you...for them, when...you needed me."  
  
"Oh, Mia, that isn't true. The guys aren't going to die and I'm sure they know you're doing all you can  
for them." Ryo comforted, rubbing her arm now since she wasn't taking comfort against his chest any more.  
  
Mia nodded and rubbed at her eyes again, making the eyes turn red with irritation.  
  
"Mia, how long have you watched over the guys? How long have you gone without sleep?" He asked her, still  
rubbing her arm for comfort.  
  
"Two days and three nights." Mia said, her voice still cracking at points with unshed sobs.  
  
Ryo looked shocked at what she had accomplished before helping her to her feet. It was obvious that she  
needed to rest now, and he slowly walked with her to her room and forced her to get into bed and promise  
to try and sleep. He assured her that he was all better and that he was going to be fine, taking care of  
the guys now. After that, Mia drifted off to sleep without any more argument.  
  
Shutting the door softly, he headed to the stairs and peered into Cye's room as he passed it. The warrior  
of Torrent looked like he was resting peacefully, but Rowen, who was in the other bed, was thrashing  
wildly in his sleep and crying out. Cye slept on, completely unaware of the battle his friend was going  
through.  
  
Ryo stepped up to Rowen's bed quickly and grabbed both of his friend's arms, holding them down, hoping he  
would relax soon and sleep again22.  
  
Instead, Rowen's eyes snapped open to gaze at Ryo. One look at them and Ryo knew he was going to dealing  
with hallucinations.  
  
"Talpa! Get away from me, you monster!" Rowen ground out, his mouth set as if he was going to recieve  
pain for his defiance. He struggled once more against Ryo, trying to tear his hands free and Ryo did his  
best, holding his friend's hands still so he wouldn't hurt himself in his delirious state.  
  
Rowen screamed in frustration and Ryo quickly clamped a hand over his friend's mouth. Afraid Rowen might  
try to bite him, he quickly moved his hand to cover Rowen's eyes.  
  
"Rowen, I am not here to hurt you, I am here to help you. Relax, you were just dreaming. Go back to  
sleep." Ryo told his friend in a calm voice. Rowen fought him for a little more before finally taking a  
deep breath and relaxing.  
  
Ryo left his hand over Rowen's eyes for a few more minutes, wanting to ensure that his friend was asleep.  
  
When Rowen started to breath evenly and snore slightly, he removed his hands with a slight grin. Bringing  
the covers closer around his friend and evenly across the bed, Ryo finally stood up. Checking on Cye one  
last time, he then turned to his own room and checked on Sage, who was sleeping peacefully as well.  
  
Content with his first few moments of silence, he headed downstairs to find some food. Opening the  
fridge, he found a pot of broth and lifted that out and onto the stove, turning the stove on to heat it  
up for his friends. Returning to the fridge, he was disappointed to see very little food of substance.  
  
Sighing in frustration, he turned to the pantry and settled for oatmeal instead.  
*****  
The scientist slammed his fist against the table when he realized that the Ryo doll no longer had any  
trace of his disease on him.  
  
"No! I needed just one more day, make sure that the girl that lives with them couldn't fight my  
domination either! No, no, no, no!!"  
  
The scientist glared at the dolls for a bit more before coming to a decision. His eyes lit up with it as  
he grabbed a bag and slipped the Kento, Cye, Sage and Rowen doll into it.  
  
"Time to rid this world of the Ronin Warriors. Although I wish I could have used them as my new soldiers  
for a new age, they are too strongly willed to be swayed to my side."  
  
The scientist selected a walking stick and headed out for the house he knew the Ronin Warriors to be  
staying at.  
*****  
Well, I'm leaving you at that. What do you think, quite the cliffhanger, right? Well, tell me what you  
think the scientist has planned, k? 


	10. The Scientist Attacks

Fevered Dreams  
So, did I keep you hanging for too long? Well, just in case the wait was unbearable for some of you, I'll  
get to the story right away. Hope you like...  
Thanks for the reviews!!  
***** (Three hours later)  
Ryo looked up from adjusting the humidifier in Cye's room when he thought he heard someone out in the  
hall. Cautious, he went out to see what had made the sound...only to bump into Mia.  
  
"Mia! What are you doing?" Ryo asked, his surprise causing him to shout.  
  
Mia rubbed an arm, looking up into Ryo's concerned eyes sheepishly. "I was worried. Besides, I have  
enough sleep to last me for a while...the guys need me so they can get better." Mia mumbled her reply and  
Ryo groaned.  
  
"Mia, the guys need you to be well when they get better. It won't do them any good if you get sick just  
after they get better. Don't worry, I have everything under control." Ryo explained as he forced her to  
walk back to her room.  
  
Just as he started to shut the door to her room, he heard someone yell from outside.  
  
"RYO!! WARRIOR OF THE WILDFIRE!! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A FIGHT!" The door to Mia's room flew open and Ryo  
paused for a second before running into her room and throwing open the window. He stuck his head out  
slightly to see the challenger and only saw a man in a long lab coat watching him.  
  
"Sir, what do you want?" Ryo asked, not connecting the scientist to the man who had challenged him.  
  
"I want to see you die." The man ground out, pointing a slender finger up at Ryo.  
  
Ryo pulled back and looked to Mia, who looked utterly terrified. Not one to underestimate his opponent,  
Ryo set his face in a grim line before hurrying into Cye's room.  
  
Taking notice that both Cye and Rowen were still asleep, he cursed softly to himself as he started to  
pick up Cye.  
  
"Mia! Set up the basement with four mats right now! I need to keep you all safe." He muttered the last  
part as he finally had Cye in his arms. The warrior of Torrent stirred slightly but didn't wake up as Ryo  
ran down the stairs as fast as he could. He found Mia in the basement, unrolling mats and setting up a  
few pillows. Ryo carefully set Cye down on the first mat that was available and ran back up the stairs as  
fast as he could.  
  
"Ryo?" A soft voice asked as he came out of his room with Sage in his arms and a few blankets draped over  
his shoulders. He looked around before seeing Kento who was holding himself up by the railing. "What's  
going on?"  
  
Ryo didn't say anything as he ran back downstairs and placed Sage on the next mat that was set out. He  
took a minute longer to drape a blanket over Cye and Sage. As he left, he turned on the light that  
neither he or Mia had flipped on since they had come downstairs. Again, Ryo ran upstairs to get Rowen but  
was stopped by Kento on the stairwell.  
  
Kento actually didn't look too sick, but the way he leaned on the rail screamed out that he wasn't up to  
his normal strength. Dodging around the warrior of strength, Ryo slipped into Cye's room and picked Rowen  
up, grabbing a few more blankets and leaving the room, heading for the stairs.  
  
"Ryo! Tell me what's going on!" Kento yelled as best he could and Ryo stopped for his friend.  
  
"You can walk. Get down to the basement as soon as you can." Ryo told him and turned to leave.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on!" Kento said as he walked down a few steps. Ryo  
opened his mouth to explain but the man yelled from outside once again.  
  
"I'm not the patient type, Ryo of the Wildfire! Fight me, now!" Kento looked to Ryo, slightly confused.  
  
"My guess, the guy who sent the disease on us." Ryo told Kento softly as he continued going down to the  
basement.  
  
Ryo was heading back up to the first floor when Kento came down the stairs. Ryo watched him take a seat  
on the last mat as Mia sat down on the couch.  
  
"Watch over the other guys with Mia, Kento." Ryo told his friend. Kento nodded and watched as Ryo changed  
to his subarmor. He glanced back at his friends one last time before heading upstairs.  
  
He slowly opened the door and stepped outside to face off with the scientist that stood in front of him.  
  
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but if you want to see me die, you'll have to fight me first!" Ryo  
challenged. The scientist just grinned like a madman. 


	11. Protect Ourselves

Fevered Dreams  
And here's another part...well, I do promise this is coming to an end...however, I REALLY bite at battle  
scenes (this chapter and the next chapter) so bear with me, PLEASE...  
Thanks for all your reviews!  
*****  
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but if you want to see me die, you'll have to fight me first!" Ryo  
challenged. The scientist just grinned like a madman. "Who are you?"  
  
"You already know the answer to that question, Ryo of the Wildfire." The man said, his voice soft and  
dangerous.  
  
"I do...I was just hoping my gut instinct was wrong." Ryo told the man. A shimmer from the man in front  
of him and Ryo was suddenly aware that the man had left a mirage. He was going to try attacking  
him!...but from where?  
  
Ryo expanded his senses, hoping to catch the man before he planned to attack. His eyes never moved from  
the mirage, giving nothing away to his enemy that he knew about the trick.  
  
Suddenly, Ryo knew the man was behind him and he lashed out with a kick, hoping it was aimed at the man's  
stomach. He felt his foot connect and then a thud as the man landed on the grass behind him.  
  
"Nice try." Ryo told the man softly as he gasped for air.  
  
Staggering to his feet, the man choked out, "H-how...how did you..."  
  
"How did I know? First lesson: Always know where your true enemy lies." Ryo explained, waiting patiently  
for the man to catch his breath.  
  
"This won't do. Even after you were sick for so many days, you still exceed me greatly in physical  
strength." The scientist muttered to himself as he stood up straight. Ryo dropped down into a defensive  
stance, unaware of what the scientist had said to himself.  
  
The scientist thought for a moment, not making any move...therefore, Ryo didn't make any move against  
him. He soon decided and, with a wicked grin, pulled out from the pouch on his side a singular doll. As  
he pulled it out, however, a flash of light blinded him for a minute. When he looked at the doll again,  
he was upset to see his Kento voo-doo doll surrounded by an orange orb.  
  
"No!" He growled as he threw the doll aside, but he didn't hesitate as he pulled out his last three  
dolls. He placed them down on the ground and sat down next to them. Curious, Ryo relaxed his stance and  
took a step closer to the man.  
  
"Another step, Ryo of the Wildfire, and you will regret it...so will your friends, whichever one I choose  
to use for my purposes." The man said, his voice once again silky and deadly.  
  
Ryo stopped, not sure what the man was talking about but then he noticed that the three dolls lying in  
front of him closely resembled Rowen, Cye and Sage.  
  
"What is this? Voodoo?" Ryo asked, upset at the dirty trick. The man didn't answer, just continued to  
smile. "Your the man from the dream...my dream, about the sickness."  
  
"Ah, yes...glad you recieved those dreams. Did you enjoy them?" The man's smile grew about double in size  
but his voice continued at its deadly pace. "Now, if you will focus on the matter at hand, I will fill  
you in with the ways your friends could die. Strangulation is always fun, but I could also snap their  
necks. Which one do you prefer?"  
  
Ryo fell to his knees.  
  
"W-why would do this?" Ryo asked, lowering his eyes to the ground. It didn't seem like there was any way  
to prevent his friends' deaths.  
  
"Why? For power, of course! Right now, all the powerful people are sick with my home-brewed disease and  
by the time they are better, I will have dominated the world...and no one will be able to have any say  
about it. Now, choose Wildfire. What will be your friend's fate?"  
  
Ryo looked up at the scientist and swallowed hard.  
  
What could he do?  
*****  
Kento jumped up from his position by the window when he saw the doll that resembled him get tossed aside.  
  
"Of course! That's how he got us all sick! Voo doo magic!" He also realized that if their armor was  
activated, they had a sort of protection from the magic.  
  
Without hesitating, he ran downstairs. Skidding to a stop by Sage, he knelt down and shook his friend a  
little. "C'mon Sage! You gotta wake up! We need to help Ryo!!"  
  
A hand was laid on his shoulder and he looked up into Mia's eyes.  
  
Carefully, she reached out and forced Kento to set Sage back down, who moaned and curled up into a ball.  
He coughed harshly and Mia carefully placed the blanket over him. She ran her hand through his hair until  
he relaxed and began breathing evenly again. Then, she turned to Kento.  
  
"Kento, I know you're worried about Ryo. We all are, even though the others aren't really aware of what's  
going on. But shaking them awake like that is only going to make the situation worse. Why don't you use  
your mental link with them instead of forcing them to listen to you by shaking them?"  
  
Kento nodded slightly and reached out a hand, touching Sage's temple since there was an obvious lack from  
Sage on the mental link. Normally, any of them could contact the other just by calling out. However,  
it required some physical contact if other person was asleep or unable to respond physically.  
  
Unsure of how good he was with this ability (Cye and Sage were the best), he called out uncertainly with  
his mind for Sage. He closed his eyes to help his concentration and felt a strange pull. Opening his  
eyes, he noticed he was in a new area. The place looked vaguely familiar, but he didn't know when he had  
last gone to a cave with a field in front of it.  
  
"Hey Kento." A voice said behind him and he turned to see Sage sitting at the edge of the field. He  
looked perfectly healthy and Kento went over and stood by his friend, shocked speechless. Sage, however,  
was not so speechless. "Care to explain what all the shaking was for? I have a headache now, thanks to  
you!"  
  
Kento fell down a little to sit next to his friend. "Uh...sorry 'bout that. Um, I had to tell you that  
Ryo is facing off with the source behind the disease right now...but the guy went dirty and is  
controlling him by threatning to hurt all of us."  
  
Sage listened silently as Kento explained the situation, then shrugged.  
  
"We can't do anything in particular. Ryo is dealing with magic...our armors are magic, but four of us  
can't even battle...how are we supposed to help?"  
  
Kento smiled. "Glad you asked, because I found out that if the trait of our armor is invoked, then our  
dolls get some of the protection as well! It makes it so he can't harm us!" Kento explained. Sage thought  
about it for a moment, then smiled.  
  
"Sure, I'll work on it...but no more shaking!"  
  
Kento smiled again. "Right, no more shaking."  
  
The two friends said goodbye before Kento pulled his fingers away from Sage's temple. As Kento headed  
over to explain the situation to Rowen, Sage concentrated on his trait, wisdom.  
  
As Kento looked up from explaining everything to Cye, he was thrilled to see a green flash come from  
Sage as the armor of Halo was invoked. A dark blue flash followed shortly thereafter, signaling that the  
armor of Strata was also invoked. He turned to look at Cye again.  
  
"Come on, Cye...all eyes on you now." Kento muttered as Mia went silently up the stairs for some broth  
for the guys.  
*****  
"NO!" The scientist howled. Shortly after making his threat, the dolls that looked like Sage and Rowen  
had been surrounded by their orb of armor. Standing up in anger, he threw the two dolls away, watching  
them bounce around before settling under some bush.  
  
Behind him, he heard Ryo slowly stand up. "Give it up and I won't hurt you." Ryo tells the man softly,  
trying to ensure that the man wouldn't snap and do something crazy once again.  
  
The man was still for a minute before turning back.  
  
"This is far from over, Ryo Wildfire. If I cannot kill four of you, I shall still have the pleasure of  
killing one of you!"  
  
In a single motion, the man bent down and picked up the last remaining doll. Cye's doll didn't have an  
armor orb over it yet and the man immediately moved his hands to Cye's neck. "One of you will die today,  
no matter what!" The man yelled before he pinched two fingers over the doll's neck.  
  
Ryo, startled and fearing for Cye's life, froze where he was, uncertain of what to do next.  
*****  
Kento backed off when Cye flailed out and hit him in the face. Unsure of what had happened, he looked  
back to his friend to see Cye scratching at his throat and writhing in agony. Strangled gasps were coming  
from him and Kento, only slightly realizing what had happened, crawled back to his friend.  
  
Cye's lips were turning blue and tears leaked from his eyes as he gazed into Kento's face. His neck was  
red and even bleeding in some places where his nails had scratched through the skin.  
  
"No! Let him go!" Kento yelled out just as Cye's hands fell down from his neck. "Cye! No, you can't give  
up now! Fight it!" Cye gasped for air for a few more seconds as his eyes slowly closed. His body relaxed  
and Kento howled in anguish.  
  
A crash on the stairs and suddenly Mia was beside him. She took a look at Cye, searching frantically for  
a pulse that Kento knew would no longer exist. He buried his face in his knees, trying to force his eyes  
to stop leaking like they were. He heard Mia start to cry and then her frenzied attempts as she started  
to use CPR. Numbly, Kento moved into place by Cye's side to help.  
*****  
The man looked sidelong at the doll in his grasp. "Well, that isn't much fun..." The scientist declared,  
startling Ryo out of his thoughts. "He's already dead."  
  
"Murderer!" Ryo cried, leaping at the man. He felt a wetness on his face and only vaguely realized it was  
tears as he started to pummel the man with his hands.  
  
"No! Stop!" The man yelled as another fist connected with the side of his face. "No! If you really want  
to extract your vengence...use your weapons and destroy me!" The man cried, working a small spell that  
forced Ryo to step back, even against the youth's better judgment. "C'mon...kill me, you know you want  
to."  
  
Ryo glared at the man as he held out one hand, placing the other underneath it. "Armor of Wildfire...dao  
ji!" Ryo shouted and cherry blossoms filled the air momentarily as Ryo changed into his armor. Drawing  
his swords with a single swipe, he faced them at the man.  
  
"Yes, that's right...come and fight me now!" The scientist muttered, his words only slurred slightly by  
the bruises he had already sustained.  
  
With a yell, Ryo charged the man, constantly aware of the reason he was fighting and that his opponent  
still had a smile on his face.  
*****  
Well? What do you think? PLEASE REVIEW!!! Only two more chapters remain. 


	12. Die, Ryo of the Wildfire

Fevered Dreams  
This chapter, then one more. Hope you like it.  
Ah! Don't kill me for Cye, please!! I'll change it a little, I promise, if you tell me too!  
*****  
With a yell, Ryo charged the man, constantly aware of the reason he was fighting and that his opponent  
still had a smile on his face.  
  
"Why are you still smiling?" Ryo screamed at the scientist. The man suddenly stopped smiling long enough  
to mutter something. After he did so, the scientist smiled again and waved a hand across the air in front  
of Ryo.  
  
Heedless of this trick, Ryo continued to charge, only to find his swords suddenly swerve five inches away  
from the man.  
  
"What the..." Ryo muttered as he backed up until the swords were back under his control. The scientist  
just continued to smile. That smile was so irritating...  
  
Ryo charged the man again only to have the swords swerve away, just like before. His anger growing at  
what he knew had happened, Ryo threw his swords aside without a second thought. Now that he was  
unhindered by uncooperative weapons, he ran at the man, pulled back his fist, and connected with the  
man's face.  
  
As his fist pulled back from the man and he readied for another one, something cut through the armor on  
his left arm, leaving the feeling of burning on his skin. Startled, Ryo pulled back to inspect the cut,  
hoping to find out what sorcery the scientist had used on him this time.  
  
Seeing no sorcery on his arm, he looked around for a cause to see something that shocked him to his core.  
  
His Twin Furber Swords hovered slightly above the scientist's head, and the sword on the man's left had  
a streak of red on its sharp edge...his own blood. The scientist just laughed.  
  
"For every time you hit me, your swords put a strike against you." The scientist explained easily, still  
smiling.  
  
Ryo thought over his options for a moment, then smiled as he looked the scientist in the face. The man's  
smile flickered slightly as he wondered what Ryo had planned that he could smile.  
  
"Looks like I'll just have to kill you in as few hits as possible then." Ryo explained as he walked up  
to the man. His eyes held a glazed look and the man was suddenly afraid. This boy was ready to give his  
life for revenge!  
  
"No, you don't wan..." The man started to explain, but Ryo's fist in his face prevented him from saying  
anything else.  
  
The right sword immediately swung down and sliced Ryo across his left leg. Unbalanced, Ryo fell forward  
and knocked the scientist down. Still unbalanced, he then fell down on top of the scientist, his elbow  
connecting with the man's gut.  
  
As the air whooshed out of the scientist's lungs, the left sword swung out again and cut Ryo across his  
right leg. The cut was so deep and so painful that Ryo cried out in pain. The scientist laughed to see  
this.  
  
"Well, Wildfire, I can tell that I can take a few more hits from you and still walk away from this  
battle...you, however, will not last another two hits." The scientist explained, his voice coming out in  
gasps since Ryo was still on his chest.  
  
"We'll see about that, guy." Ryo told the man as he raised his fist again. He slammed it into the man's  
face once again, causing the man's nose to begin to bleed as his swords swung out and cut his right arm,  
leaving a gash from his wrist to his elbow.  
  
Biting back the pain that coursed through his arm, he hit the man again with his elbow in the chest. The  
man coughed and retched as a sword lanced down from above. The sword sliced across his face, from his  
forehead and on down to his right cheekbone. The blood fell down and slowly spilled into his eyes, making  
it hard to see. The sweat on his forehead that mingled in the open cut was like having salt put into the  
wound. Ryo found himself biting back pain again as he hit the man again.  
  
The pain became so strong that Ryo forgot where he had hit the scientist, but he was aware that a sword  
cut him down along his back and off to his left side.  
  
The scientist started to laugh manically as Ryo swayed slightly. He was losing too much blood...he  
couldn't continue to fight like this...  
  
Raising his fist for the last time, he slammed it down, then fell to the side as he let the darkness  
take him.  
*****  
Hmm...to kill Ryo or not...should the scientist live...hmm...  
*dagger swishes by her face*  
OKAY! Let me finish the prologue...then you can kill me for what happens...  
*whimper* please be kind...  
  
SERIOUSLY, I NEED YOUR OPINION. SHOULD CYE STAY DEAD? SHOULD RYO DIE?  
THE READER decides this one....  
So, if I get no reply from any of you concerning this, then you shall be left in suspense. 


	13. Epilogue

Fevered Dreams  
The end! Aren't you happy? But keep your eyes open...I might suprise you with an epilogue 2 just so you can  
find out how everything goes.  
Well, hope you like it...not saying anything right now though...gonna let you stew about what happens.  
This is the epilogue to this story, but some people have commented that they want a continuation or a greater  
evil...I might look into it IF you really want one.  
And I hope to still get your reviews!  
*****  
Kento, Rowen and Sage had made a complete recovery from the illness within twelve hours even though they had  
started to help fix the damage long before that. After they had begun to help, Mia was allowed to rest again  
to gain her own strength back. Also, the whole world soon was getting better from the created disease and  
leaders were returning to work.  
  
Yuli had also come over to the house a few days later but the guys didn't have the heart to let him inside.  
Pained, they had watched from windows as Mia turned the young boy away, telling Yuli that now just wasn't the  
best time, that the guys needed time to get better from being sick and to sort things out.  
  
Time had passed and now the three boys hoped things would slowly get back to normal.  
*****  
It had been six days since everything had turned around...six days after the battle with the Source.  
  
An hour after the sounds outside had stopped, Mia had peered out the window to find out what was wrong. All  
she saw at the time was Ryo, no longer in his armor and apparently unconscious on the ground. Although noone  
knew what had happened, the situation had been enough for any of them. Kento had stumbled outside since Sage  
and Rowen were still too weak to do anything.  
  
Outside, Kento had found Ryo lying on top of a scientist and could only guess the man had been the Source of  
the disease. He had carefully picked the unconscious Ryo off the scientist and laid him aside before  
determining the cause of death for the man. His neck had been snapped.  
  
Kento didn't know when he realized it, but eventually he noticed his shirt was stained with blood. Slightly  
confused, he had turned back to Ryo only to find out that Ryo was bleeding, had been bleeding...  
  
By the time Kento had noticed, Ryo was pale with blood loss. Kento, fearing he may have caused his friend's  
death, quickly brought Ryo inside. Mia freaked out when she saw Ryo and her commotion had woken up Rowen and  
Sage. Joining with Kento and Mia, Sage had healed one of Ryo's wounds to a scab while the other wounds had  
been bandaged. After that, they had placed Ryo in his room with White Blaze as a guard. All they had been able  
to do was hope that Ryo would be all right.  
*****  
Kento slowly settled down on the bedroom floor with White Blaze curled up next to him. Absently, he scratched  
the tiger's ears and the tiger purred back in pleasure.  
  
A rustle came from the nearby bed and Kento lifted his eyes to see if everything was okay. His eyes  
practically popped in surprise and he leapt to his feet, not caring that he might disturb White Blaze.  
However, the tiger was already up close to the bed, his head resting in the lap of the person in the bed.  
  
"Sage! Rowen! Get up here quick, he's awake!" Kento bellowed as he stumbled forward in his shock. He picked up  
his friends hands and almost fell to his knees in happiness.  
  
Ryo was awake. Finally, he was awake!  
  
"Hey, Ryo...Ryo, you okay buddy?" Kento asked softly as Sage and Rowen ran into the room. Ryo had a bandage  
over half his face, blocking the face from the friends seeing any expression on their leader's face.  
  
A mumbled answer came from Ryo, but no one understood it.  
  
"What was that, Ryo?" Kento asked, leaning closer to his friend. He found there was no need for it as Ryo  
slowly turned his face toward them. The bandage that was on his face covered one eye, but the other was almost  
startingly blue to them...it had seemed like an eternity since they had seen them.  
  
"You're all okay..." Ryo said, his voice a little stronger. He slowly moved from each of them and they gave  
him a small smile. Ryo smiled slightly before he seemed to remember something. His face clouded as he asked  
about their missing member. "And Cye...is Cye okay?"  
  
The guys exchanged a look between themselves and their eyes were worried, but they said nothing.  
  
"Where...is...Cye?" Ryo asked slowly and deliberately. Rowen bit his lip and Sage averted his eyes from him.  
With only Kento left, Ryo looked to him as Kento wrung his hands. "Tell me."  
  
"Cye...is...fine..." Kento breathed out, recieving glares from Rowen and Sage. Ryo's suspicion heightened,  
feeling that maybe what he had heard was a lie.  
  
"Ryo, what Kento meant was..." Rowen tried to cover up, but Kento interrupted.  
  
"Ryo, Cye is alive...but he's not himself." Kento said. He left it at that, so Sage picked it up.  
  
"We think something might have happened to Cye when he died for a time. Shortly after he woke up two days ago,  
he created a shield around himself...something he has never done before. I didn't feel I should pry so I  
didn't break through the shield...but we have gotten worried." Sage finished.  
  
Ryo watched his friends carefully before trying to stand up. Still weak from his injuries, he stumbled when he  
had barely left the bed and the three friends jumped forward to help him.  
  
"Ryo, don't try that. You'll tear your wounds open!" Sage told Ryo as he held his friend up from falling to  
the ground. "I wasn't able to completely heal your wounds because...well, I didn't have all my strength back  
for a while. We also didn't know if someone else would try an attack so I held back my full power in case of  
a new battle."  
  
Ryo looked up at them, his eyes flashing in determination. Kento saw it and smiled slightly.  
  
"Fine, if you're going to be stubborn...I'll carry you down." Kento explained and Ryo looked at him, anger  
first flashing across his face than happiness. A Ronin Warrior especially knew when he needed help and Ryo  
accepted it gladly from Kento.  
  
No sooner had the four settled down in the living room did the door open. It was so quiet that if the boys had  
been talking, they might not have even heard it.  
  
Rowen went to see what was going on. A moment later, Rowen came back in with Mia shortly behind him. After  
them, Cye came in slowly. His feet dragged and his head was down, hiding his eyes from them. Instead of  
joining them by the couches, he leaned against the door frame. The four friends watched Cye for a while, but  
he never looked up at them.  
  
"Well, I took Cye to the doctor like we decided and..." Mia started but she stopped as a groan came from Cye.  
  
Cye slid down the wall and finally sat on the floor. He drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around his knees  
as he whimpered. Ryo, Sage, Rowen and Kento exchanged concerned looks, but Mia stopped them from comforting  
their friend.  
  
"Not until you know what I found out." Mia told them. "The doctor gave Cye a routine examination and he  
must have...lost his hearing when he died for that period of time."  
  
The room became utterly silent, with only Cye's choked crying penetrating the silence.  
*****  
A woman stood up from her crouch on the first limb of the oak outside of the Ronin household. Her smile was  
demonic and she laughed slightly to realize the Warrior of Torrent was deaf.  
  
"This is hardly over, Ronin Warriors!" She said, but nobody heard her. "That stupid scientist had no idea how  
to defeat them...my father, however, shall succeed where he failed!"  
  
With a wave of a hand, the woman disappeared with only a wisp of smoke to mark any presence had ever existed.  
*****  
"Cye." Sage said softly, sitting down next to his friend. Cye sniffled and turned his head away, but he didn't  
bury his head. Sage watched sadly as tears slowly fell from his friend's ocean-blue eyes. Unable to reach his  
friends with words, Sage just reached out a hand and gently set it on his shoulder. Cye shuddered slightly and  
Sage felt even worse.  
  
Sure he could heal Cye, but Cye's guard was still up. Nothing would work unless Cye wanted to be healed.  
  
Sage rubbed Cye's back slightly and didn't bother with any mental communication.  
  
He listened to Rowen discuss with Mia the option of teaching Cye sign language. Mia also talked about hearing  
aids and cochlear implants.  
  
The discussion went on around Sage and Cye, but Sage was suddenly aware that the conversation had gone silent.  
He looked up to see a surrounding environment he didn't recognize. He was no longer in the house and he looked  
around to find out where he had gone to.  
  
"Do you hear the silence of the world, Sage? The lack of music the world makes?" A soft voice asked behind and  
Sage turned to see Cye staring at him with his same ocean-blue eyes as before. Sage suddenly realized that Cye  
had brought Sage to his subconscious.  
  
"Cye, it doesn't have to be like this!" Sage said as he mentally walked over to his friend. Cye lifted his  
face to Sage but didn't say anything. "Cye, let me try to heal you...don't give up so easily. You can hear the  
music again if you just allow me to heal you..."  
  
Cye turned to Sage and gave a soft smile. Sage was a little startled, but soon he smiled as well.  
*****  
Yes, this means Cye got his hearing back...or at least consented to be healed. The next story that might be  
a continuation (I think) will be called "STARBURST". Keep your eyes open for it.  
  
Okay, so there will be a continuation in another series...hope you guys won't mind a GW/RW crossover...  
  
Please tell me if you DO NOT want a crossover like that. I think I can come up with another idea. 


	14. New Story

NOTICE FOR FEVERED DREAMS!!  
  
WELL, THE STORY IS FINISHED. I KNOW I LEFT YOU IN SOME SUSPENSE...I DIDN'T CLEAR UP WHETHER OR NOT CYE  
WOULD GET HIS HEARING BACK OR NOT. I ALSO LEFT OUT ANY EXPLANATION FOR THE GIRL IN THE TREE...  
  
SO, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS?  
  
WELL, GUESS YOU BETTER LOOK OUT FOR THE CONTINUATION THEN! Starburst and Vision Seekers IS THE NEW TITLE  
AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT AS MUCH AS THIS ONE! THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE NEW STORY IS UP, SO PLEASE SEARCH  
FOR IT...I'VE BEEN TOLD THE FIRST CHAPTER IS VERY GOOD BY A FEW FRIENDS...  
  
Also, PLEASE read all notices in the new story...most of them are vital for anyone who wants to  
understand the story.   
  
Thanks for all your reviews and I hope to have such loyal readers for the next story!! ^^ 


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